African Footballer of The Year Ademola Lookman has broken his silence on Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini’s harsh criticism, revealing that the designated taker instructed him to take the penalty in Tuesday’s Champions League exit to Club Brugge.
In an emotional statement released on Wednesday, Lookman expressed his hurt at being singled out by Gasperini, who had labelled him “one of the worst penalty-takers I’ve ever seen” after his spot-kick was saved in the 3-1 defeat.
“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,” Lookman wrote in his statement on X.