Ademola Lookman has reacted to the criticism from his coach, Gian Gasperini after he missed a crucial penalty against Club Brugge in the Champions League on Tuesday, Sportivationng.com reports.
The Super Eagles star described the criticism as disrespectful after Giasperini said he is one of the worst penalty takers he has seen in football.
Lookman came off the bench to score the only goal for Atalanta in the 3-1 defeat to Club Brugge, but he also missed a penalty in the second half to reduce the deficit.
Atalanta’s coach, Gian Gasperini criticised Lookman after the match, describing him as one of the worst penalty takers he has seen in his life because he was not the designated taker.
He said: “Lookman was not supposed to take that penalty; he is one of the worst penalty-takers I’ve ever seen.
“He has a frankly terrible record even in training; he converts very few of them. Retegui and De Ketelaere were there, but Lookman, in a moment of enthusiasm after scoring, decided to take the ball and that was a gesture I did not appreciate at all.
“He wanted to take the penalty after scoring a goal. He took the ball despite Retegui and De Keteleare being available to take it… I didn’t like what Lookman did.”
Lookman has now taken to X to express his disappointment at his coach reaction to the penalty miss, describing it as disrespectful.
He wrote on X: “It saddens me on a day like this to have to write this statement – most of all because of what we have achieved as a team and as City.
“Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurts but feels deeply disrespectful, not least because of the immense hard work and commitment I have always put in each and everyday to help bring success to this club and to the incredible fans of Bergamo.
“In truth, I have dealt with many difficult moments during my time here – the majority of which I have never spoken about because in my opinion the team must always be protected and must come first. This makes what happened last night even more hurtful.
Lookman revealed that the designated taker asked him to take the penalty.
He said: “Along with our incredible fans, we as a team are hurting too with last night’s result. During the match the designated penalty taker instructed me to take the penalty; and to support the team I took responsibility in the moment to do so. Life’s about challenges and turning pain into power which I’ll continue to do.”
Lookman has been a standout player for Atalanta since he joined the club from RB Leipzig in 2022.
He has scored 15 goals and recorded six assists in all competitions for Atalanta this season.
