Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman are now the stars of Nigeria, according to former Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro.
After a tough start, Ademola Lookman has flourished in the Super Eagles after he changed his international allegiance from England.
Under Peseiro, ‘Mola’ shone at the 2023 AFCON, where Nigeria reached the final.
He also showed class at the recent AFCON in Morocco.
“Osimhen was the star (of the Super Eagles), but he (Ademola Lookman) hasn’t been far behind; he’s even scored more goals (Lookman has six in 13 games, compared to the Galatasaray striker’s five in 14). Now they’re both stars,” Peseiro told Marca
The Portuguese coach revealed that the Atletico Madrid star chose Nigeria after he did not have a future with England at full international level despite shining at age-grade levels with his adopted country.
“He was just a kid, but he always told me how sad he was because after winning the Under-20 World Cup in 2017 and reaching the Under-21s, England stopped calling him up,” Peserio explained.
“He didn’t understand it; he thought he had a future there, but he had to accept it, So, since his parents were Nigerian, he accepted the call a few months before I arrived.
“Although he had made his debut, he didn’t always play, but I saw his potential, made him a consistent starter, and he exploded: he began to have fantastic seasons and was crucial in getting us to the Africa Cup of Nations final and in Atalanta winning the Europa League with his three goals.”
