There was an unlikely answer Wednesday to the question of who would score the first hat trick in a men’s European club final since 1975.
Ademola Lookman scored all three goals in Atalanta’s 3-0 beating of Bayer Leverkusen to win the Europa League title and each had much to admire.
Stealth in the penalty area, balance on the ball, deft footwork, and precise shooting with both feet were factors in a standout performance.
And yet even Atalanta coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, acknowledged he was not buying a pure striker when Lookman arrived at the club two years ago.
Lookman also had been a winger at Everton, yet also slipped through the net there after being allowed out on loan to Leipzig and then sold.
Joining Atalanta at almost 25, Lookman had never scored 10 goals in a season. He has now scored 15 times in each of his two seasons in Italy.
The London-born Nigeria international offered a hat trick of ideas after the game for why he has flourished.
Love and support from his family and African home. The trust he felt from Gasperini’s managing. The calmness of life in the picturesque city of Bergamo.