Ademola Lookman: Sunday Oliseh hails Atletico Madrid move

Former Nigeria international Sunday Oliseh has hailed Ademola Lookman’s move to one of Spanish big boys Atletico Madrid during the January transfer window.

The 2024 African Footballer of the Year signed for the Madrid based club in a deal reportedly valued at €35 million, with an additional €5 million in performance-related add-ons.

 

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The 28-year-old arrives at Atletico with a rich experience from Italian Serie A where guided Atalanta to the EUROPA League in 2024.

He previously played for Everton, RB Leipzig

Sunday Oliseh, who played for Ajax, Juventus and Dortmund, believes that Lookman made a right move that could “save” Nigerian football.

“This transfer might just have saved Nigerian football from my own experience from the trade and my experience at this level has been 35-years now, he might have saved Nigerian football,” Sunday Oliseh told GNB Official.

“Atletico Madrid every year, almost every year religiously in the Champions League [and] the bonuses from champions League are huge. The Spanish league pays well, you are not going there to earn poorly.

“Tax system in Spain allows you, the cost of living in Spain is cheaper [and] this man is going to do well financially [and] if you have never played in a top club, you will never know the impact of a top club in your life.

“When you play in a big club you become big and that’s what Atletico Madrid is [and] this boy going to Atletico Madrid has just saved our football in the sense that now players can now start to hope and dream of going to these leagues.”

Lookman, whose glittering performance saw him score 55 times and providing 27 assists at Atalanta, played a key role in Nigeria’s third place finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in January.

He previously played for Everton, RB Leipzig, Fulham FC and Leicester City after cutting his teeth at Charlton Athletic.