Ademola Lookman, the Nigerian winger at Atlético Madrid, did not come on against FC Barcelona (1-2 defeat). A first this season for a player whom coach Diego Simeone had nevertheless defended just days earlier.
Ademola Lookman did not leave the Metropolitano bench. The Nigerian winger at Atlético Madrid watched his side’s defeat to FC Barcelona (1-2) from start to finish, without Diego Simeone, the team’s coach, calling on him.
According to Goal.com Français, the manager still had a fifth substitution available as the match came to an end. The Madrid club remain five points behind Barça in La Liga after this setback. But beyond the scoreline, it is Lookman’s absence that draws attention: it comes at a time when his output is judged to be far below that of his first months at the Metropolitano, according to Goal.com South Africa and Sportitalia.
A fifth substitution kept in reserve
Simeone did not hold back his attacking options. Sørloth came on, then Højlund — or Hancko according to Tribuna, with sources differing on the player’s identity — and Cardoso, before Jonathan David in the 78th minute. All choices that left Lookman on the bench until the final whistle.
Sport, relayed by Goal.com South Africa, reports that the Atlético coach deliberately kept his fifth substitution unused rather than giving it to the Nigerian winger. Information to be treated with caution, but it fuels questions over Lookman’s status within the squad.
The context of the match made the decision all the more visible: Hansi Flick, the FC Barcelona coach, had fielded Frenkie de Jong at right-back, a setup that seemed to suit the Nigerian winger’s profile, Tribuna points out. At the same time, Julián Álvarez stayed on the pitch for the entire match despite the crowd’s whistles, Goal.com Français reports.
A first since his arrival
It is the first time this season that Lookman has stayed on the bench for an entire match. Since joining Atlético in the previous winter transfer window, the winger had played 42 official matches, according to Tribuna. A figure that says both how regularly he has been used and how unprecedented this sidelining is.
The contrast is all the more striking given that Simeone had defended him just days earlier, stressing his importance in one-on-one duels, Sportitalia reports. That public backing did not, then, stop the coach from leaving him on the bench against the Catalan club.
Lookman is indeed going through a difficult spell: his level is judged to be far below what he showed in his first months at the Metropolitano, according to Goal.com South Africa and Sportitalia. The home defeat to Barça only adds to that context.
Atlético and Nigeria waiting
Diego Simeone’s men will now go into the November 2026 international break five points behind FC Barcelona in La Liga. The next league fixture, after the resumption, will set the framework in which Lookman must try to win back a place in the Madrid starting eleven.
The Nigerian side of things also remains open. According to the lists circulated, Nigeria did not call up the winger for this window, without the reasons for his absence being documented. The player’s situation will be one to watch with a view to AFCON 2027.