Lookman talks about Super Eagles, life in Italy and lessons from Jay-Z

It is just as well that Italian referees have learned the true nature of Ademola Lookman’s goal celebration and stopped booking him. Because he can’t stop scoring.

The Atalanta winger has six in his past three games, 12 in 13 in all competitions, leading to his signature binoculars gesture, cupping his hands arounds his eyes.

It’s important emotionally to Lookman as a salute to his old south London side, Waterloo, whose coach Felix Emanus, suggested it.

One of the strangest moments of the Serie A season came when Lookman was booked by Daniele Doveri for doing his trademark celebration after scoring against Udinese in October.

“That was strange to me.” Lookman laughs. “Maybe he thought I was doing it towards the Udinese fans just to annoy them. Maybe he didn’t know that was my celebration. I do it every time. I think they know now. I got it from Felix. He told me to start doing it every time I scored. It’s just become my trademark. My name as well. Lookman.”

It is the variety of his goals as well as the frequency that has everyone looking at him in admiration: running through and dinking the keeper, poaching with his knee at the far post, powering in a shot at the near post or a classic centre-forward’s header.

Only Super Eagles and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, a forward linked with elite Premier League clubs, has scored more goals in Serie A this season than Lookman (13 to 11). Nobody in Italy comes close to Lookman’s 50 per cent chance conversion ruthlessness.

Playing off the right for Gian Piero Gasperini’s all-action side, Lookman’s beaten Federico Fazio, formerly of Spurs, as Atalanta put eight past Salernitana 12 days ago, then got the better of Jakub Kiwior, playing a painful last game in the Coppa Italia for Spezia before moving to Arsenal, and then twice eluding the Brazilian World Cup defender Alex Sandro to score past Wojciech Szczesney at Juventus last Sunday.

Lookman’s journey is well known, acquiring his skills and tenacity in the cages of south London, the five As, four Bs and one C at GCSE, loving playing for Waterloo and eventually being picked up by Charlton Athletic. He moved on to Everton for an undisclosed fee, then on loan and then permanently to RB Leipzig, then loans to Fulham and Leicester City before Atalanta signed him last summer. Lookman has always scored but not as freely as this.

So why this improved form? “Mentality, preparation,” Lookman replies via Zoom. “My routine is a lot different to what it was. Everything’s focused on helping me perform. I watch interviews with people who are doing well in life like Jay-Z, someone at the top of the world who I can learn from. Jay-Z has come from basically nothing and is now a billionaire. That takes more than desire and guts, it takes execution and a plan, direction and confidence.”

Lookman has always believed in his ability but is now more efficient, more clinical. “I’ve always had confidence. Just from a kid, I remember playing football and feeling, ‘yes, I can really do this’. I’ve never changed from that, from six, seven, the fire has never changed.”

That fire in the Peckham-born Lookman was forged in the cages of south London, breeding ground for so much talent, including Jadon Sancho (Kennington), Joe Gomez (Catford), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Lewisham) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (Croydon). “The cages toughened me,” Lookman recalls. “If someone’s coming in hard, you’re landing on concrete so I came out the cage with grazes on my knees, grazing on my elbows, you may even hit your head on the ground.”

It toughened him mentally, especially when a 13-year-old team-mate at Waterloo called Josh died from a blood clot. “He was a centre back in our team, a great player as well, sadly he passed away,” he says. “That was a tough one to take for all of us. Just like that, things can change, so pour everything into now.”

His mother’s sacrifices to feed her children further focused Lookman’s fire. “She’s an amazing individual. I’ve seen her character be tried at times and she’s just overcome it and always had a smile on her face, always persevered,” he says. “She worked different jobs trying to provide for us, trying to give the best that she can for us as kids. I didn’t realise how hard it was for her until I was older and thought to myself, ‘My mum tried her best’ and for that I’m very thankful. I’ve told her that. I love my mum.”

So he is determined to seize this opportunity. If the fire is more focused, so is his preparation. “I’ve started eating a lot of plain foods like white pasta, like more fish. That’s my diet. No sauce. Some vegetables. Sleep’s very important, trying to get in eight hours. After games, I’ll do recovery, maybe going into the cryochamber, doing some upper body [work], some stretching. As long as I’m doing everything I can in my power, and not cutting corners, the rest is up to God. Faith gives me that extra bit of hope and confidence.”

So do the Atalanta Ultras, the Curva Nord 1907, at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia. “They’re an inspiration, definitely,” Lookman says. “They love the club. During a game, I don’t ever hear them stop singing. Ever. Throughout the whole 95, 96 minutes, I always hear them. They are behind me and that gives me that extra energy as well.” It reminds him of his time at Goodison Park. “The passion is the same,” he adds. “Everton fans are going through tough times at the moment but I’m sure they’ll come out of it, definitely. Because of the passion of the fans. The Everton fans are different level. They get behind the players when the team needs them. They can make the difference in games.”

Back in Bergamo, fans stop him when he’s wandering around La Città Alta, the Upper City (old town). “They always want a picture or autograph. They’re just really friendly.” He’s enjoying exploring Bergamo in his spare time. “The view!” Lookman exclaims. The mountains are 30 miles away. “I won’t be doing skiing!” But the 25-year-old admits to being lonely. “Definitely. But I’m here to do my job, do the best I can and put in the work. I stick solely to that mentality. Of course I may feel down sometimes and that’s normal for anybody. But I persevere through whatever feelings.”

Lookman’s assimilation into local life quickens through regular Italian lessons. He needs them to absorb Gasperini’s instructions. “I understand what he says when he talks slowly but when he’s talking very fast it’s hard for me,” he says. “But I’m picking up Italian pretty good.”

He’s enjoying Gasperini’s style. “He’s intense, a strong man, a top coach,” he says. “He always wants us to attack, he loves seeing goals. But there’s a structure: he wants us to build through the thirds. I definitely have a defensive role [as well], to help the team within the structure, but that defensive role also allows me to attack. Italian football is known for structure. When you play against a team like Juventus or Spezia you see how diligent each player is defensively. They’re so drilled on structure here.”

Throughout his career, Lookman has had a range of inspiring managers, including Karl Robinson at Charlton. “He was a great manager for me,” he says. “He gave me a lot of love, a lot of his time as well which I appreciated. In his office talking about the game and how he saw my game.’’

Marco Silva at Everton was demanding but constructive. “He’s an intelligent manager, wants to implement his style of football and build through the thirds. His training sessions were very intense — very, very intense — every day the same intensity. Ralph [Hasenhüttl at RB Leipzig] was an intense manager as well. Wants to win, everything is based around winning, wants to score, attack.” Hasenhüttl taught Lookman to be more selfish.

He also learned under Scott Parker at Fulham. “Scott was an amazing guy and developed my game,” he adds. “He used to say a lot of things to me about my emotions [controlling and channelling them]. Emotionally I never really used to understand that until he kept on repeating it to me and I thought, ‘Yeah, you’re right.’ ”

All of these managers, teachers and learning experiences shape the inform attacker today. He pauses when I ask him the hardest defender he’s faced in Serie A. “I probably have to say Fikayo Tomori [of AC Milan] — just to give him a little bit of a confidence boost.” The pair are friends, having shared Fifa under-20s World Cup glory with England in 2017. For years after, the squad also shared a WhatsApp group. “No, that’s been scrapped but whenever we see each other or come into interaction with each other [on social media] we always say good things about each other. I get messages, speak often to Dom [Calvert-Lewin], Fikayo, Josh Onomah, a couple of others.”

While Calvert-Lewin and Tomori have gone on to senior England honours, Lookman spoke to Gareth

Southgate but chose to represent Nigeria, birthplace of his parents. “It was nothing to do with my parents because they wouldn’t really tell me to go here or there,” Lookman explains. “I wanted to build a career internationally. The decision was something that I thought about for a long time before making. To play for Nigeria is an honour first of all and the best decision I ever made. I’m happy I made it.” He loves the passion for the Super Eagles, who have Lookman and Osimhen in attack (and Kelechi Iheanacho). “Nigeria fans are everywhere, aren’t they?

 “African football needs a light shone more on it. There’s a lot of great African football players and the football that some African teams play is great. Maybe they’re not having the best pitches or the best facilities but they do try to play football like you see in the World Cup [in Qatar] with teams like Ghana and Cameroon they played attractive football. Morocco got to the semi-final. I wouldn’t say Morocco were a surprise because they thought they could get to that stage. There’s that belief in them. Everyone supports each other in Africa.”

He targets Afcon and the World Cup with Nigeria, targets qualification for the Champions League with Atalanta and knows people are talking about him in England. “I try not to listen to the noise,” Lookman replies. He’s enjoying Atalanta too much. “We’ve an amazing team, a strong team, a team full of talent, a team full of hunger and passion, so there are big things on the horizon for the team.” They’re so close Lookman doesn’t need his binoculars.-THE TIMES