Reigning African Player of the Year and Atlanta forward, Ademola Lookman has described the statement credited to his coach, Piero Gasperini calling him the worst penalty taker, as disrespectful.
Gasperini had labeled Lookman, as “one of the worst penalty takers” after he missed a penalty, in the UEFA Champions League second leg play-off tie Belgium’s Club Brugge on Tuesday, which the later won 3-1.
Although Lookman managed to score a goal early in the second half, after Brugge established a 3-0 lead at halftime, his penalty was ultimately saved by goalkeeper Simon Mignolet at the Gewiss Stadium in Italy.
In a statement released Wednesday on his X handle, Lookman said: “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.
“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.
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“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.”
Lookman is Atalanta’s top scorer in this season’s Champions League having netted five goals.
The Nigeria international will be keen to redeem himself by inspiring Atalanta to a win, when they face Empoli in the Serie A clash on Sunday.
