Ademola Lookman says he felt “deeply disrespected” by Gian Piero Gasperini’s comments about his penalty miss.
On Tuesday, Atalanta lost 3-1 to Club Brugge in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) play-off clash.
Lookman, a half-time substitute, scored just seconds after returning from a knee injury that had ruled him out since January. But he also missed a penalty kick afterwards as Atalanta crashed out of the UCL with a 5-2 aggregate scoreline.
In his comment after the match, Gasperini criticised Lookman for taking the penalty.
The Italian manager said Lookman is “one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen”, and he should have left the spot-kick for more prolific teammates.
Reacting to the coach’s words in a statement on Wednesday, Lookman said, “being singled out in the manner I have been” belittles “the immense hard work and commitment I have always put in each and every day to help bring success to this club”.
He added that Atalanta’s “designated penalty taker instructed me to take the penalty, and to support the team, I took responsibility”.
“It saddens me on a day like this to have to write this statement – most of all because of what we have achieved together as a team and as a city,” Lookman writes.
“In truth, I have dealt with many difficult moments during my time here – the majority of which I have never spoken about because, in my opinion, the team must always be protected and must come first. This makes what happened last night even more hurtful.
“Along with our incredible fans, we as a team are hurting too with last night’s result. Life’s about challenges and turning pain into power, which I’ll continue to do.”
Lookman has scored 15 goals in all competitions for Atalanta this season. The Italian club won just one of four games when Lookman was out injured.
