Ademola Lookman Breaks Silence After Gasperini Berated Him Over UCL Penalty Miss
- Ademola Lookman missed a decisive penalty for Atalanta vs Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League
- Manager Gian Piero Gasperini singled him out and publicly criticised him over the incident after the match
- The Super Eagles forward has published a statement on social regarding the situation with the manager
Ademola Lookman has published a statement after Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini singled him out for blame after their UEFA Champions League elimination.
Lookman, who was returning from injury, came on in the second half with Atalanta down 3-0. He immediately scored and had another goal disallowed.
Source: Getty Images
However, his night was ruined after missing a decisive penalty and head coach Gasperini did not spare him during his post-match conference, labelling him the worst penalty-taker he has ever seen.
Lookman fires back at Gasperini
The reigning African Footballer of the Year has published a statement on his social media pages, depressing his mind at the “deeply disrespectful” comment from his manager.
“It saddens me on a day like this to have to write this statement - most of all because of what we have achieved together as a team and as a city,” he wrote.
“Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurts but feels deeply disrespectful, not least because of the immense hard work and commitment I have always put in each and every day to help bring success to this club and to the incredible fans of Bergamo.
“In truth, I have dealt with many difficult moments during my time here - the majority of which I have never spoken about because, in my opinion, the team must always be protected and must come first. This makes what happened last night even more hurtful.
“Along with our incredible fans, we as a team are hurting too with last night's result. During the match, the designated penalty taker instructed me to take the penalty; and to support the team, I took responsibility in the moment to do so.
“Life's about challenges and turning pain into power, which I'll continue to do,” he concluded.
His post has generated debate on social media and more importantly, earned the support of many Nigerians, including the Super Eagles' official X account.
It remains to be seen what turn the back-and-forth trading of words will take, and most expectedly, the player will bear the biggest brunt as he likely leaves the club in the summer.
Atalanta's president, Antonio Percassi, confirmed to Corriere della Sera last month that the player has interest from top clubs and quoted Premier League sides Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United among those interested.
Ademola Lookman's penalty record
Legit.ng analysed Ademola Lookman's penalty record after Gasperini publicly hung the Super Eagles star and labelled him as one of the worst penalty takers he's ever seen.
Lookman, before yesterday's miss, had only missed one penalty in his career, while he has scored all four he has taken for Atalanta, including against Como this season.
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Source: Legit.ng
