Former Nigeria national team coach José Peseiro has revealed how Ademola Lookman felt after he was ignored by England before he decided to play for Nigeria.
Explaining why the Atletico Madrid forward opted for Nigeria, Peseiro said this happened after the player waited for a chance to represent England at the senior level.
Lookman was born in London to parents from Nigeria. He played for England’s youth teams, including the U19, U20, and U21 squads.
In February 2022, FIFA allowed him to change his national team allegiance and represent Nigeria instead.
A former African Footballer of the Year, the skilled forward made a last-minute move to Atlético Madrid, and just last weekend, he became the first English-born player to play in the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, and La Liga.
Peseiro talked to Marca about Lookman’s move to Atletico Madrid before his contract ended.
He said, “For Lookman, it’s a challenge, and it’s a big moment in his career because now he’s reached one of the top clubs in Europe… and he can keep showing England that they made a mistake by not picking him for the senior team,” he said.
Peseiro also mentioned that Lookman was confused about why his good progress in youth teams did not lead to a call-up for the senior squad.
“He was still quite young, but he frequently told me about how sad he felt. After winning the Under-20 World Cup in 2017 and moving up to the Under-21 team, England stopped inviting him to join the squad. He couldn’t understand it. He thought he could have a future there, but in the end, he had to accept the situation.”
With parents from Nigeria, Lookman chose to play for the Super Eagles, a decision he made before Peseiro became the head coach.
He has directly helped score 11 goals, with six of those being goals he scored himself and five being assists he provided, in 13 matches.
