Ademola Lookman: Can the 2024 African Player of the Year lead Nigeria to AFCON glory?

Super Eagles' hopes ahead of the 2025 AFCON lie on the shoulders of their attackers, but can Ademola Lookman in particular deliver?

Ademola Lookman enters the next chapter of his career carrying both the weight of expectation and the memory of moments that have defined him on the global stage.

His name, once featured highly among promising talents, now sits firmly in the conversation of Africa’s elite. Yet greatness is never a straight line, and his journey to this point has been marked by brilliance, turbulence, and rebirth.

As Nigeria looks ahead to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, the question emerging across conversations is whether the African Player of the Year can rise once again at the moment his country needs him most.

Lookman’s announces himself with Ballon d’Or claim

Ademola Lookman’s career has unfolded in phases that often seem almost theatrical. The first of these defining chapters came on a historic night in Dublin, when he produced a hat-trick that ended Atalanta’s long wait for European silverware.

That performance, the first hat-trick in a one-legged European final since 1969, placed him permanently in the realm of football’s unforgettable moments. It also began a sequence that carried him into the 2024 Ballon d’Or conversation, an unprecedented honour for any player representing Atalanta at the time.

On the international stage, Lookman built further on that momentum, and during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, played in early 2024, Lookman delivered goals against Cameroon and Angola that guided Nigeria to the final.

His contributions earned him a place in the tournament’s Best XI and the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger. Those achievements, paired with his form in Europe, culminated in his coronation as the 2024 African Player of the Year, inheriting the crown from compatriot Victor Osimhen.

Lookman’s climb hampered by Atalanta drama

Yet, football rarely affords an uninterrupted climb. A missed penalty against Club Brugge, followed by public criticism from Gian Piero Gasperini, opened a difficult period for the Super Eagles star.

The remarks hurt more than the miss, but it was the transfer saga that followed that truly pulled his focus away from the pitch.

Missing training sessions and hoping for a move to Inter, only to watch it collapse, left him in limbo. A new manager arrived, and tension resurfaced, culminating in a touchline quarrel that further disrupteed his return to form.

Lookman had rarely struggled for consistency since arriving in Bergamo, but this time the dip was unmistakable.

What followed was a subdued return that left both club and country waiting for the spark that once came so naturally.

Two goals and one assist in 12 games are not the numbers associated with someone capable of dominating Europe, and for Nigeria, the performances were even worse, with seven matches without a goal and just one assist across an entire year.

It was in this context of doubt, fatigue, and frustration that a Champions League fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt appeared, almost unexpectedly, as a turning point arrived for Lookman.

Lookman’s revival under Palladino

Lookman’s display against Frankfurt carried the tone of someone reconnecting with himself. The composure of his volley, the clarity in his movement, and the timing of his assist for Éderson all conveyed a player emerging from a fog.

Watching him closely, it was obvious that his movement looked lighter, freer, and more expressive, a nod to the Lookman of old.

This change, in part, can be attributed to new manager Raffaele Palladino, whose attacking philosophy aligns more closely with Lookman’s natural rhythm and whose reassurances have helped the Nigerian forward seem more at ease.

For the first time in months, Lookman operated in a system that felt familiar and intuitive. And when a system suits a player with Lookman’s traits, elite performances tend to follow.

There was also a psychological element at play. The transfer saga, the tensions with former coaches, and the long summer of uncertainty had carried a mental weight. The clarity he now shows suggests he has begun to leave those distractions behind.

With two goals and two assists in three matches under Palladino, and back-to-back scoring for the first time since May 2025, Lookman appears back to his best, and just in time for the 2025 AFCON.

Nigeria’s dependence on big-game characters

Every successful national team has players who transform narrow margins into something tangible. Lookman, at his best, is one of those characters for Nigeria.

His goals against Cameroon and Angola at the last AFCON were examples of a player capable of carrying the collective dreams of a nation on his shoulders without losing an ounce of quality.

Nigeria has always admired players with that type of presence, from the likes of Jay Jay Okocha to Kanu Nwankwo or Rashidi Yekini, and Lookman’s emergence at the last tournament placed him in that lineage.

However, Nigeria’s recent lack of cutting-edge in attack has been glaring. For much of the past year, despite talent in wide areas and in central positions, the team has struggled to convert chances consistently, especially in the absence of Victor Osimhen.

The lack of offensive contribution from Lookman during that period naturally contributed to the imbalance. When a creative force goes quiet, the ripple effect is visible. Nigeria lacked unpredictability, lacked incision, and lacked a player who could tilt matches with a moment of inspiration.

This is why the conversation surrounding Lookman’s return to form feels so significant. It is not only about what he does from the wings or in pockets of space; it is about timing, temperament, and his ability to deliver when the lights are brightest.

The Super Eagles do not lack talent. They lack rhythm, decision-making in the final third, and a reliable presence capable of carrying the team through phases of pressure. A fit and confident Lookman offers all three. And with the 2025 AFCON approaching, the importance of such a figure is magnified.

Lookman ready to pick up Super Eagles mantle

Nigeria’s group at the 2025 AFCON, featuring Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda, demands players who understand the value of tournament margins.

Lookman has operated in these spaces before, producing when the stakes were highest. His recent resurgence under Palladino suggests that the timing of his return to form may be part of a broader rhythm returning to both his club and national team performances.

For many observers of Nigerian football, his resurgence creates a sense of optimism that had faded earlier in the year. A Lookman in full flow shifts the narrative in Nigeria’s favour.

He allows the Super Eagles to stretch games, dictate tempo, and approach matches with less dependence on individual brilliance from Osimhen alone. And when both forwards operate at their peak, the team’s ceiling rises noticeably.

But whether he can guide Nigeria to their first continental title since 2013 depends on more than goals. It would require consistently influencing matches, even on nights when he may not score.

Lookman has shown the capacity to grow into such a role, especially when he plays without distraction.

As AFCON draws closer, the question is not whether he has the ability; that much is already proven. The question, instead, is whether this renewed form marks a sustained ascent or a brief revival. If the former is true, then Nigeria travels into the tournament with one of the continent’s most decisive attackers entering a period of peak confidence.