A Befitting Crown For Ademola Lookman!

 

The meaning of Ademola is: Crown is Added to My Wealth,

 Gender: Boy.

Origin: African, Yoruba.

As part of Yoruba traditional beliefs, names are given to their newborn babies, as prayers/wishes of expectations by their parents for them.

 

On the 22nd May 2024 when Atalanta FC of Italy walloped the hitherto unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen FC of Germany, during the final of the UEFA Europa Cup competition, played in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin-Ireland, it was a culmination of a long season of grit and determination by both sides in their various leagues. Bayer Leverkusen FC had just broken the highest unbeaten run in a season for any European club side and had remained so for 51 matches. With this feat, they won the German Bundesliga, upsetting perennial winners, Bayern Munich FC, and Borussia Dortmund amongst others. Everyone predicted them as the favorites to win the Europa Cup but this was not to be because of the actions of a sleek Nigerian attacking-minded player.

Nigerian-born, Ademola Lookman, at 26, has journeyed to several European club sides in his struggle to register his imprints in the annals of football. Standing at 5’ 9, using his speed, good ball control, and swerves, he’s any defender’s nightmare and so much of that was on display when he finally won his biggest crown of glory (so far), at club level.

 Lookman has played for Charlton Athletic FC, Everton, Fulham (loan), Leicester City (loan), and RB Leipzig (loan), before joining Atalanta FC. He also has the distinction of having played for the English U-19, 20, and 21 national teams, before switching his allegiance to Nigeria, his fatherland. He won the FIFA U-20 World Cup competition with England and was gradually endearing himself to the senior team coaches when he decided to make the important decision of switching to Nigeria.

He was born in Wandsworth, U.K. with Nigerian parentage and was finally enthroned with a glowing Crown after his hat-trick which ended Leverkusen's 51-match winning streak.  His team won their first-ever continental title and Lookman was voted the most valuable player of the match.

His exploits this season had started during the 2024 CAF African Nations Cup wherein Nigeria virtually rode on his wings to narrowly lose the title to hosts, Cote d’Ivoire. Throughout the competition, he displayed his extraordinary football skills and attacking qualities, leaving nobody in doubt about his assorted wealth of talents.

 Within one football season, Ademola Lookman has done so much that in the immediate future, he'd remain a marked man in every match. His qualities have begun to draw so much recognition that former  Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur FC star, Peter Crouch, had in the course of his punditry, discourteously asserted that Ademola Lookman missed his opportunity to play for England due to his impatience. As disgusting as the statement sounds, it positively affirms the fact that he's missed by his country of birth.

Ademola Lookman would be gunning for greater glory if he's able to remain consistent with his current form throughout the 2024 calendar year. This would obviously attract transfer offers from bigger clubs and more honors such as the CAF ANC Best Player of the Year. That would not be an impossible task to achieve!

 

How Far Can Finidi George Soar With The Super Eagles?

Two weeks ago the Nigerian Football Federation finally announced Finidi George as the replacement to erstwhile coach Jose Peseiro, whose contract was not renewed when it elapsed in February, after the 2024 African Nations Cup Competition, where Nigeria took the silver medal.

The Nigerian Super Eagles have for some time now endured some wobbly and flailing performance, especially in their style of play. Their inability to qualify for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup caused great frustration for Nigerian football fans, especially knowing that their then-foe for the ticket did not possess a better team to overwhelm the Nigerian team.

Finidi George is a much-known name in Nigerian football. He played as a right winger for a long time in the Nigerian local league for Sharks of Port-Harcourt, Calabar Rovers FC, and Iwuanyanwu Nationale FC, Owerri, then got into the Super Eagles, under Clemence Westerhof and soon joined the legendary Ajax Amsterdam that had some wonderful crop of players such as Captain Danny Blind, Goalkeeper Edward van der Sar, Kluivert, Mark Overmars et al, but he instantly got into the first eleven. With Ajax he won the European Champions League amongst several other titles, and also was part of the team that qualified Nigeria for its maiden World Cup in 1994, the same year they also won the African Nations Cup. Finidi, as he’s popularly called went further to ply his trade in Spain, with Real Betis and Mallorca FC, and in England with Ipswich Town FC.

Finidi is a fully certified coach and has bagged the highest coaching grades in the volatile European League, serving as a youth coach in Spain before his return to Nigeria. He returned from Europe to take a coaching job with Enyimba FC of Aba, a little over three years ago and has excelled twice by winning the Nigerian Professional Football League. This likely must have counted in his favor when he was chosen to serve as assistant to Peseiro during his two-year tenure. He would definitely know the team and the workings of his employer, the Nigerian Football Federation, very well to make it easy for him to settle down in his new job.

THE TASK BEFORE FINIDI GEORGE

With less than two months to the resumption of hostilities for the FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket, Finidi needs to hit the ground with blistering speed that would enable the Super Eagles to soar beyond its current position. He’s yet to appoint his assistants and has not publicly articulated his vision for Nigerian football. One expects that his experience as a youth team coach during his coaching exploits in Spain would also count greatly for him, but he still needs to be specific and deliberate on how he intends to transform Nigerian football beyond its present level. The talent pool of the Super Eagles is overwhelming and Nigerians don’t need to suffer watching the team, neither do we need to have our citizens dying of heart attacks watching the Super Eagles struggling against less endowed teams like we witnessed in Cote D’Ivoire. The team needs to play organized football that would make the players perform at their optimal level, rather than turning them to mediocre talents. Our star player, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen virtually used his willpower rather than the team cohesion to make an impression during the Cote D’Ivoire ANC 2024 and he paid dearly on his return to Italy. He got fatigued playing for a Nigerian team that had no style and this, Finidi, needs to change. It was during his era in the Super Eagles that Nigeria reached the apogee of its relevance in World Football and their creativity and style remain unrivaled by any Super Eagles team, thirty years after!

Whilst welcoming Finidi George to the Super Eagles job with open arms, it’s expected that he’d get the best support from his employers, build the best team right for his football philosophy which we expect to be fluid and progressive, and also the Nigerian Football Federation must set the right targets for him to serve as the veritable yardstick to judge his performances. Good luck Finidi!

 

HONEST LESSON FOR MO SALAH OF LIVERPOOL FC

Last week, the electronic media was abuzz with news about a seeming altercation between Liverpool mercurial star, Mohammed Salah and his coach, Jurgen Klopp. Whilst much was not revealed, it remains absolutely clear that Salah must have been upset about being benched for the match against West Ham United FC, only to be told to come in during the last 10 minutes of the match. Video footage showed Salah grudgingly shaking hands with Klopp and engaging in some heated exchanges with his coach, until his colleague, Darwin Nunez, intervened to stop any further exchanges.

 

Both Salah and Klopp are true legends of Liverpool FC having helped the club to win virtually every club football title in England and Europe. Before joining Liverpool FC, Salah, looked very much like a talented journeyman who’d never been fully trusted by any big European club he’s played. After leaving Basel FC, Switzerland, his move to Chelsea FC of England (he met a brick wall with Jose Mourinho, who rarely entrusted him with playing time), Inter Milan FC, Italy been rather underwhelming, until he got a new lease of life in Liverpool FC. Klopp trusted him and he blossomed to become an integral part of the successful eight-year reign of Jurgen Klopp in Liverpool FC.

 

SALAH NEEDS TO BE BETTER BEHAVED

Would Salah now begin to show such disrespect to the manager who absolutely brought out his best as a footballer? That would be surprising and utterly absurd and irresponsible. Despite leaving Liverpool FC, at the end of the 2023/24 season, whatever results the team achieves can never diminish his positive contributions to Liverpool and it is clear that by the current English Premier League standings, the team has already confirmed a European Champions League direct qualification ticket for themselves.

 

During last season's transfer market, Mo Salah was speculated to be enticed by several Saudi Arabian football clubs who worked tirelessly to attract him to the ambitious Saudi Arabian Football League project that had already lured several quality players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Jordan Henderson, Alexander Metrovic, Phillipe Coutinho, Kareem Benzema, Koulibaly, Roberto Firmino et al to their country.  Salah is the most accomplished homegrown footballer from the Middle East and has broken so many records, especially in club football, succumbing to the lure of the money-driven Saudi Arabian football revolution would have further enhanced the cult-figure status he enjoys in the Arab World, but yet he deterred to enjoy more successful seasons in the top flight European football competitions.

 

His open altercation with Jurgen Klopp and the statement he made thereafter does him no good but open a dangerous precedence that could steer other players against him and/or against the team. As one of the captains of the team, needs to solve this issue.

 

His calm demeanor has always portrayed him as a team player willing to work for the success of the team and not otherwise. His form at the twilight of the 2023-24 English Premier League season has not being been so brilliant and this possibly caused Klopp’s decision to bench him or give him more rest to recharge and rediscover his form. Taking it in bad faith, was obviously wrong, and throwing tantrums in the open further worsens his actions and he needs to nip this fast. It further gives a red signal to Arne Slot, Klopp’s perceived successor, and should learn to show more respect to his coach and fellow team members.