Ademola Lookman summed it up quite neatly after collecting the trophy for best male footballer at the 2024 Confederation of African Football awards. “Four years ago my career felt down," the 27-year-old told the glitterati assembled at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakesh. "But now I’m here as the best player in Africa. Don’t let your failures stop your dreams."
An apt moment indeed in the Moroccan city to muse on the slings and arrows of footballing fortune.
In September 2020, just over 18 months after leaving the English Premier League team Everton for a five-year contract with the German outfit RB Leipzig, Lookman was back in England's top flight playing on loan for Fulham.
In August 2021, he joined Leicester City on loan and a year later he signed for Gian Piero Gasperini's all-action Atalanta side in Italy's Serie A.
"For those of us who have seen him in the Premier League, he really didn't look great for Everton for all of the three years he was there," said Jonathan Wilson, editor of the football magazine The Blizzard.
"And then he went to Fulham where he's most famous for a terrible penalty miss, an attempted Panenka that went wrong. At Leicester, again, he's OK. It's a half a dozen goals, but it's only really under Gasperini that he's really taken off."
Lookman travelled with the Nigeria squad to the delayed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d'Ivoire as one of the sideshows to star striker Victor Osimhen who justified the hype with the equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in Nigeria's opening game in Group A.
Skipper William Ekong blasted home the winner from the penalty spot in the second pool game against hosts Cote d'Ivoire and an own-goal gave them victory against Guinea Bissau to take Nigeria through to the knockout stages.
With sudden death roving the firmament, Lookman came alive. He bagged a brace in the last-16 defeat of Cameroon. And he scored the only goal of the game in the quarter-final against Angola.
"He fully deserves the award," said Angola coach Pedro Gonçalves munificently. "Unfortunately we were at the wrong end of his ability during the Cup of Nations and were knocked out of the competition.
"I didn't really know of him before he went to Fulham – that's when I first saw him. He has developed into a tremendous player."
Though Cote d'Ivoire outwitted the Nigerians in the final, Lookman emerged from the Cup of Nations in the team of the tournament and with his own reputation enhanced.
A few months later, he wrote himself a page in Atalanta's and European football folklore with all of his side's goals in the 3-0 defeat against a hitherto unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final.
It was Atalanta's first European title in their 117-year history as Lookman became only the sixth player to score a hat trick in the final of a European club competition.
Wilson added: "I understand that people – whether they're Premier League viewers or whether they're Nigerians hadn't quite taken him seriously.
"We didn't quite realise how good he was because really the form he's showing has only come since his time at Atalanta. The scepticism has been entirely reasonable."
Winning the player of the year title is likely to fuel rumours that the Londoner might be on his way back to the Premier League.
"I hope that at least he sees out this season with Atalanta," Wilson added. "Just because I think this season really could be extraordinary for Atalanta. They're at the top of the Serie A table at the moment and it's not impossible that they win Serie A for the first time. And why would you as a footballer not want to be part of that?
"I remember after the Europa League final, Lookman was very clear on what he owed Gasperini. I think he's very aware that Gasperini has unlocked something in him or provided him with the environment where he can produce this form.
"So I don't think he's sort of looking down on Atalanta in any way. But there is an economic reality there that Atalanta cannot pay as much as the biggest teams like PSG, Manchester United or Chelsea.
"After three years in Italy, I think that's fair. I think that's a reasonable career progression to then move to a United or a Chelsea."
On a national team level, Nigeria's place at the 2025 Cup of Nations in Morocco has been secured but they face an array of tricky encounters in their push to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
After four of the 10 qualifying games, Nigeria lie in fifth place in Group C with three points.
Cote d'Ivoire, who claimed the Cup of Nations under Emerse Faé, head their 2026 World Cup qualifying pool with 10 points from a possible 12.
Both Faé and the national side were hailed at the same awards ceremony as Lookman as the coach of the year and team of the year respectively for their exploits at the Cup of Nations.
"These things are always subjective," Wilson added. "I never am sure how seriously we should take them. I'm never entirely clear what they're meant to be rewarding but I don't think any of the awards that have been given stick out as being obviously wrong.
"You know, I think Lookman has been brilliant. No complaints about him winning it. Equally Emerse Faé and equally Cote d'Ivoire, they've all had exceptional years. You could make a case for other people but I don't think you can really complain about these winners."
