Charlton Athletic supporters must be incredibly proud of Ademola Lookman exploits | OneFootball

Ademola Lookman's Atalanta exploits must make Charlton Athletic supporters proud

Charlton Athletic were relegated to League One in 2020, following a testing 2019/20 Championship season in which the Addicks won just 48 points.

The South East London outfit have not made their return to the second tier since, but the Valley faithful can still shout about the success of their club's academy products, such as defender Joe Gomez, who has won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, and two EFL Cups since moving to Liverpool in 2015.

Addicks supporters will also be very enthused by the development of Ademola Lookman's career, as since leaving the Valley for Everton in 2017, he has gone on to represent high-profile clubs on the European stage, such as RB Leipzig and his current side Atalanta.

As per the South London Press & Mercury, the Addicks prised the forward away from Sunday league outfit Waterloo when he was 15, and he signed for the Charlton academy.

His first senior minutes for the Valley side came during the 2015/16 Championship season, in which he managed five goals and one assist in 24 second-tier appearances, despite his club's relegation to League One that year.

Lookman subsequently shone for the Addicks during the first half of the 2016/17 third-tier campaign, notching five goals and two assists in just 21 outings before being snapped up by the Premier League Toffees in January 2017.

Lookman's route to global stardom has not always been straightforward

After agreeing terms at Goodison Park, the attacker made eight appearances during the latter half of the 2017/18 Premier League season and scored his first top-flight goal.

Then, during the first half of the subsequent 2017/18 campaign, he made 16 appearances across all competitions and even scored two goals in six Europa League outings, but he was loaned out to Bundesliga outfit Leipzig by January 2018.

Lookman excelled during his loan spell in Germany, and bagged an impressive return of five goals and three assists in 11 top-flight outings for the Red Bull club.

But despite performing so well on German soil, Lookman's return to Merseyside did not go to plan, as he struggled to make a serious impact for the Toffees during the 2018/19 campaign.

Consequently, the former Addicks man moved back to Leipzig, this time on a permanent basis, ahead of the 2019/20 season, but he failed to emulate the same sparkle he had shown two campaigns previously, and did not manage a single goal contribution in 13 appearances across all competitions.

These poor performances would see Lookman change club again, this time returning to London, as he joined Fulham on loan for the duration of the 2020/21 Premier League season.

The Whites were relegated from the top flight at the end of that campaign, but it was through no fault of the ex-Addicks forward, who produced his best-ever Premier League return of four goals and four assists in 34 appearances.

His Fulham performances had clearly impressed Leicester City, who secured a loan move for his services ahead of the 2021/22 season, while Lookman's six goals in 26 league outings helped the Foxes to an eighth-place finish.

However, he had not done enough at the King Power stadium to convince his then-parent club Leipzig to retain his services, and subsequently joined Atalanta during the summer of 2022.

Lookman's Atalanta exploits must make Addicks supporters proud

Since moving to the Serie A side, the Nigeria international has found a new home where he is performing at a level we have never seen from him before. As a result, he must be making the Addicks faithful extremely proud of the fact that he was once one of their own.

During the 2022/23 Italian top-flight campaign, Lookman demonstrated his new-found clinical instincts under the stewardship of boss Gian Piero Gasperini and scored 13 goals as well as providing six assists in 31 league appearances.

Then, during just his second season with the Bergamo side, he sealed European glory for his club as he scored a remarkable hat-trick in the Europa League final last spring, spearheading Gasperini's men to a 3-0 win over reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, who were previously unbeaten last term.

Following his eye-catching exploits last campaign, Lookman has gone from strength to strength and has managed seven goals and five assists across all competitions this season, including a Champions League goal against Stuttgart on Wednesday night.

Furthermore, he has been particularly productive during the course of his last four games, with a ridiculous tally of five goals and two assists.

The Europa League champion was nominated for the 2024 Ballon d'Or, which is a fine endorsement of his ability, and will have been an especially proud moment for Addicks supporters who will fondly remember the ace's Valley days.