New Atletico Madrid forward Ademola Lookman has been handed the club’s jersey number 22, as he penned a heartfelt farewell message to his former club Atalanta after joining the Spanish side on the deadline day of the January transfer window on Monday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Lookman signed a four-year deal with Atletico Madrid, with the transfer reportedly valued at €40m. According to La Repubblica, the Nigerian international agreed to a contract worth €7m per season, representing a salary increase of over 300 per cent from the €2.5m he earned annually in Italy.
The move brought an end to his long-running transfer saga with Atalanta. He had been close to joining Inter Milan last summer, but the deal was blocked, leading to a brief standoff early in the season before he was reintegrated into the squad.
The 28-year-old spent three-and-a-half seasons in Serie A, scoring 55 goals and providing 27 assists in 137 appearances for the Bergamo club.
His standout moment came in the 2024 UEFA Europa League final, where he scored a historic hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen to secure Atalanta’s first-ever European trophy.
In a message shared on his social media platforms, Lookman highlighted the Europa League triumph as a defining chapter of his time in Bergamo.
“To the Atalanta family, after nearly four years, the time has come for me to say goodbye. From the moment I arrived in Bergamo, you welcomed me like one of your own and pushed me to be the best version of myself,” Lookman wrote.
“Together we made history. European champions, a night none of us will ever forget. Scoring a hat-trick in a European final and lifting a trophy with this club after a 61-year trophy drought will stay with me forever.
“Winning the African Player of the Year award in 2024 as an Atalanta player will also stay with me always. Those moments, those emotions, those nights under the lights are engraved in my heart.
“Thank you to my teammates, the staff and the club. To the fans, your passion, your belief and your energy meant everything. From day one, you stood by me and this team through every moment.
“Every cheer, every banner and every away trip meant something. Thank you for making Bergamo feel like home and for giving me memories I will carry forever.”
Lookman has since resumed training with Atletico Madrid and could make his debut on Thursday when they face Real Betis in the quarter-final of the Copa del Rey.
If that comes too soon, the Nigerian forward could earn his first minutes at the Wanda Metropolitano against the same opponents in La Liga on Sunday.
In 2024, Lookman was named African Footballer of the Year and was also the only African player on the men’s Ballon d’Or shortlist, finishing 14th in the voting.
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