Ademola Lookman Reflects on Controversial 2020 Incident During His Time at Fulham

Ademola Lookman has been awarded the title of African Player of the Year, after an outstanding performance at Atalanta, where he netted a hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen.

Before his success at Atalanta, Lookman faced several challenges—particularly during his loan spell at Fulham in the 2020/21 season while on loan from RB Leipzig.

When stepping up to take a penalty in the 98th minute of a Premier League match against West Ham at the London Stadium, Lookman was acutely aware he needed to score to equalize and secure a point for Fulham.

Ademola Lookman reflects on Panenka penalty miss

Instead of powerfully striking the ball or placing it high in one of the corners, the Nigerian international chose to execute a Panenka. While Lukasz Fabianski had initially dived, he managed to regain his feet in time to catch the weak attempt.

“Yes, they were not very pleased with me, but, you know, they showed me a lot of love and support afterwards, especially from the coach, Scott Parker,” Lookman shared with Flashscore.

“He supported me immensely to move past that moment, but as I mentioned on stage, it’s about transforming your pain into power.

“I have managed to do that over the last few years and will keep striving. To all the young ones out there looking to improve and succeed: life might bring you down, and it may deal you unfavorable hands.”

Despite Fulham’s relegation at the end of that season, Lookman’s failed penalty did not have a major impact on their final position. They were nine points behind Burnley in 17th place, and even a point from the match against West Ham would not have been enough to save them.

Lookman, on the other hand, returned to the Premier League the next season on another loan, this time with Leicester City, where he performed slightly better, scoring six goals in the top flight before making a permanent move to Atalanta at the end of the season.