Former Super Eagles striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni has identified Ademola Lookman as one of Nigeria’s most important players for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 in Morocco, but claims the Atalanta forward must be at his best before the tournament.
New Telegraph had earlier reported that the 2025 AFCON will be played from December 21 to January 18, 2026, and Nigeria will be seeking a fourth continental title after wins in 1980, 1994 and 2013.
Lookman, the 2024 African Player of the Year, has endured a tough year with the Super Eagles, failing to score in 10 appearances in 2025.
The 27-year-old’s struggles are not unconnected with the issues he had with Atalanta in the summer over a failed transfer.
Until scoring in back-to-back games for the club recently, Lookman has not been in the best of form in recent months, and Yakubu insists he must improve ahead of AFCON.
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“It’s just a shame we didn’t see the best of Ademola Lookman in qualifying. He is another good player. It’s just that the situation with his club is difficult. I hope he gets back to his best before the AFCON, so that he can help us,” Yakubu said in an interview with SportsCasting.
“We did miss him in the qualifiers. For the games we played, we really missed him because he was not the Lookman that we know. Sometimes football is up and down, but he is another good one.”
After his slow start to the season, Lookman has now contributed to three goals in his last two appearances in all competitions for Atalanta.
He registered a goal and assist during Atalanta’s 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in MD5 of the Champions League, before scoring again during La Dea’s 2-0 triumph over Fiorentina in Serie A on Sunday.
Hitting this form will not only be a boost to Atalanta but also the Nigerian national team ahead of the AFCON. Lookman scored three goals at the last edition of the tournament in Ivory Coast, where the team lost 2-1 against the hosts in the final.
