Secrets of Lookman's hat-trick, manager mayhem and Maradona trophy mystery (2024)

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Find someone to hug you like Ademola Lookman’s mum hugs him. Aww.

On the way:

🙌 Lookman’s Europa League final hat-trick explained

👀 Leverkusen’s Invincibles finally beaten

🎠 Managerial merry-go-round gathers pace

🏆 Trophy auction: Maradona, a mystery and the mafia?

Hat-Trick Heroics ⚽⚽⚽

Bayer Leverkusen had gone 51 games unbeaten this season before the Europa League final… but they hadn’t faced Atalanta’s Lookman yet. And they may not want to run into him again any time soon.

He became the first player to score a hat-trick in a Europa League final — and won the Serie A side their first trophy since 1963. For coach Gian Piero Gasperini, it is quite a story. And Lookman’s is not bad, either.

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Born in south London, the 26-year-old broke through as a sprightly winger at third-tier side Charlton, before getting his big break at Everton.

Then, a story of two shots: One, a goal on his debut against Manchester City, when it seemed the sky would be the limit. Then, after his career stalled on Merseyside and a couple of loan spells followed, his failed Panenka for Fulham — a gently dinked penalty, which was easily saved by the goalkeeper — was a moment to forget.

The goals (almost) in his own words

Would you know it, our very own Mark Carey dissected Lookman’s game with the man himself just a few weeks ago. It’s almost like he was giving us a guide to his own scoring. We’ll let him explain, shall we?

TNT Sports

Goal one, 12 minutes (above): “Getting into the box is key as an attacker. I’ve always tried to arrive into those spaces, anticipating the action before it happens. It’s about being in space to arrive and finish.

“Lee (Congerton, Atalanta head of senior recruitment) has always said to me that I need to arrive in the middle of the goal frame — that’s where I’ll get my goals from.”

TNT Sports

Goal two, 26 minutes (sorry, Granit Xhaka, but let’s see that nutmeg again): “I think a winger is someone who stays out wide, waits for the ball, and looks to take his man on — which I can do.

A loss for Leverkusen!

Even when Leverkusen went 2-0 down before half-time, we were all waiting for the comeback. They are the team of comebacks, after all, and have scored 12 goals in second-half stoppage time this season.

But on Wednesday that goal never came. What did arrive was Leverkusen’s first defeat of the season. They remain invincible domestically, even if the treble is now beyond them. But they at least have a chance to secure another trophy this weekend when they face Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final.

Manager Mayhem (Part 476) 🤯

The managerial merry-go-round is starting to spin pretty quickly. Hold still, this might make you dizzy.

First, Vincent Kompany: relegated at Burnley, wanted by Bayern Munich. Some will say Bayern’s options are running out: Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann, Ralf Rangnick, Hansi Flick, Unai Emery, Erik ten Hag, Oliver Glasner and Roberto De Zerbi were all reported targets but seem to be off the agenda now.

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Nevertheless, the Belgian is one of the game’s emerging managers, with his exciting, attacking brand of football appealing to those in the Bayern hierarchy. Even if it was arguably naive to stick with it after promotion, his style of play should be more effective with better players at his disposal.

Then there is the Kieran McKenna conundrum.

The former Manchester United coach won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich. He has suitors aplenty but Chelsea and Brighton appear to be the front-runners. His style, admittedly, would suit Brighton to a tee and in recent years, Chelsea just seem to want what Brighton have.

The question is: should he stay or go?

The reason why McKenna is linked with Chelsea is due to the vacancy in the Stamford Bridge hot seat. Since Mauricio Pochettino’s departure, we’ve explained some of the reasons behind the exit. They include:

Concern over the club-imposed structure
Initial doubts over £221.7m Caicedo-Fernandez pairing
Owners’ desire for a coach who ‘teaches’ football
Training methods and injury record

NEWS: Julen Lopetegui has just been announced as West Ham head coach — here’s what to expect.

Show Viz 📈

Is your team hunting for a goalkeeper this summer? Look no further than Wolves’ Jose Sa. His 9.6 goals prevented — which compares how many goals a goalkeeper actually conceded versus the number they were expected to based on the quality of the shot — was the best in the Premier League this season (for non-penalty shots, own goals excluded).

He is one of the names highlighted in our Alternative Premier League Awards. He won’t come cheap, though. The 31-year-old Portuguese signed a new deal in September which will see him contracted to Wolves until 2027.

Maradona Mystery 🕵️‍♂️

Mystery and controversy had surrounded the whereabouts of Diego Maradona’s Golden Ball award from the 1986 World Cup.

Some claimed the Argentine playmaker lost it in a poker game. Others suggested it was given to the mafia to pay off a drug-related debt. Whatever the answer, it’s been found and is heading to auction in France next month and is expected to sell for millions. But the family want it back…

Around The Athletic FC 🌎

Italian champions Inter may be flying on the pitch, but there is turbulence off it, with Steven Zhang losing control of the club. James Horncastle explains what happens now.
Our weekly U.S. women’s soccer podcast Full Time with Meg Linehan is back and bigger than ever before. In this episode, Meg and Tamerra Griffin dig into Emma Hayes’ first USWNT roster.

(Top photo: Harry Murphy/Offside/Getty Images)

Richard Amofa is a Staff Editor for The Athletic UK. Richard previously worked for The Daily Telegraph and Devon Live. In 2016 he was named the NCTJ Student Sports Journalist of the Year. Follow Richard on Twitter @RichardAmofa