Lookman criticised in Italy as Nigeria fail to qualify for World Cup: ‘He got everything wrong’

Ademola Lookman is being criticised in Italy following Nigeria’s defeat in the World Cup playoff.

Nigeria star Lookman is facing criticism from Italian media following a poor start to the season with Atalanta and his national team’s World Cup disappointment.

Nigeria, in fact, failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup last week, losing the play-off final on penalties to DR Congo.

“The former Europa League king, the man who dragged Atalanta to the conquest of its first European trophy, the 2024 African Ballon d’Or, has clearly lost his way,” wrote Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Stefano Agresti.

“The troubles began in the summer, when he decided to break ties with the Bergamo-based club to move to Inter. A blatant rupture because the player chose the most traumatic path, that of desertion. Getting back in shape was difficult. He has only scored one goal with La Dea, and with Nigeria, he suffered a national disappointment. Everything is wrong; he got everything wrong.”

Lookman pushed to join Inter in the summer transfer window, but Atalanta rejected any offer below €50m for the Nigerian striker.

Lookman reacted by not showing up for pre-season training sessions and eliminating Atalanta pictures from his Instagram. Therefore, he was frozen out of the team for several weeks, but he has been struggling to get back in shape in the following months after his return to group training.

Lookman, 28, has scored once in ten appearances across all club competitions this season and his contract with Atalanta expires in June 2027.