When Eintracht Frankfurt faces Atalanta B.C. within the CL on Wednesday night, all eyes will likely be on one participant who has unfinished enterprise in Frankfurt. Since his legendary efficiency within the 2024 Europa League ultimate, he’s additionally thought of a licensed Bundesliga menace. After all, we’re speaking about Ademola Lookman.
The Nigerian performed towards Eintracht 4 instances with RB Leipzig. The document? Dreamlike from Frankfurt’s perspective, moderately traumatic from his: three defeats, all three in Frankfurt. No targets, no assists. Up to now, SGE has been his private kryptonite.
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In Italy, he turned a Germany menace
In 2022, Lookman left Leipzig and moved to Atalanta for practically ten million euros. After powerful years with many loans, his definitive profession breakthrough adopted in stunning northern Italy.
Within the 2022/23 season, he collected 21 scorer factors, and 19 the next yr. Then got here his profession spotlight: the 2024 Europa League ultimate towards Bayer Leverkusen, absolutely the powerhouse of the season.
Lookman scored all three targets within the shocking 3-0 victory, reaching a ultimate hat-trick that put him on the map throughout Europe in a single day. Since then, each Bundesliga workforce is aware of precisely what it means when he has an excellent day.
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From ultimate pleasure to educate frustration
Within the following season, the 1.74-meter man delivered reliably once more: 20 scorers in Serie A, seven within the Champions League. And logically: this aroused wishes. Inter needed him desperately, Lookman needed to go to Inter. A lot in order that he publicly utilized stress on Instagram. However the switch fell by after a lot backwards and forwards. The outcome: Lookman needed to keep, and the ambiance in Bergamo was unusually frosty.
The connection with coach Ivan Juric ultimately turned a powder keg. The generally fairly authoritarian Croatian criticized “lack of combating spirit” in press conferences and benched Lookman a number of instances at first of the season.
The battle escalated within the fall when Lookman reacted angrily to his substitution within the CL recreation towards Olympique Marseille. Juric grabbed him authoritatively by the arm, and Lookman was not happy, firing again verbally.
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Workers and membership officers needed to intervene to forestall a extra bodily confrontation. The scene made headlines throughout Europe and confirmed simply how tense issues had grow to be.
Lookman: Again to outdated type in Frankfurt?
Juric is not the coach. Lookman, nevertheless, has stayed. However his identify stays a scorching subject in Bergamo as a result of his sporting worth and private unrest have been balancing one another out for months.
And that is exactly why the duel in Frankfurt has a particular taste. Lookman returns to the stadium on Wednesday the place he has by no means managed to make an impression. He will definitely wish to present that Frankfurt is not an issue place for him. The 27-year-old is probably going conscious that since his Leverkusen hat-trick, nobody in Germany will underestimate him anymore.
📸 Marco Luzzani – 2025 Getty Photographs
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If he manages one other hat-trick towards a Bundesliga workforce, a 5-1 victory for the Italians could be inside attain. Or will Atalanta, like Galatasaray, be crushed 1-5? As a result of that is how each of Frankfurt’s CL dwelling video games have ended to date. A spectacle appears assured, not simply due to Lookman.
This text was translated into English by Synthetic Intelligence.
📸 Marco Luzzani – 2025 Getty Photographs