As a Nigerian, the final of the Europa Cup decided Aviva Stadium Dublin, was a big deal. Atalanta of the Italian Serie A and Bayer Leverkusen of the German Bundesliga were the finalists for the Europa Cup final. Ademola Lookman of Atalanta and Victor Boniface of Leverkusen were up against one another. Before the kick-off Leverkusen, with an unbeaten run of 51 games from the Bundesliga and European campaign, were clear favourites to win the trophy. Eventually, it was Atalanta that stole the show on the night as Lookman scored a remarkable hattrick to help his team erased a trophyless run of over six decades. I was so happy as Lookman received the match ball and Man-OfThe-Match gong. His teammates hugged him and carried him on their shoulders after the final whistle.

Boniface, the highest scorer of the Leverkusen side did not start the match but came in at the start of the second stanza. He did well but the Italians defended stoutly. The commentator described the night as the best in the career of Eagles star, Ademola Lookman. I agree. The three goals scored were great goals. He took his chances same way he did at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier in the year. Lookman scored three goals for the Super Eagles. He scored the two goals in the 2-0 win against Cameroon in the quarterfinals of the AFCON. And so, winning the European Cup with the hattrick recorded has placed him in the forefront of the African Footballer of the year title.

He scored a total of 14 goals (5 Europa Cup) and recorded 6 assists in all competitions this season. Lookman is the first-ever player to register a hattrick in a single match in the final of Europa Cup and the feat ended Atalanta’s 61-year-old trophy drought. He is in prime position to take over from Victor Osimhen as African Footballer of the year. Boniface of Bayer Leverkusen is another strong contender for helping his team to clinch the German league title without losing one game.

The Eagles striker scored 19 goals and recorded 9 assists this term. He emerged the highest scorer for his side and would have been a hot contender for the continental best footballer if the German side had won the Europa Cup trophy. Reigning African footballer of the year, Osimhen, was not spectacular at the AFCON event in Cote d’Ivoire. He scored only one goal and struggled all through the tournament.

He played very well but failed to hit the target as expected by his fans and many other Nigerian football followers. In the colours of Napoli, he gave his all but injury did not allow him to enjoy the season under review. Osimhen still managed to score 17 goals for the team with 15 registered in the league. It must be stated also that he is currently one of the most sought after strikers in Europe with high price tag on him.

In the English Championship, Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho assisted Leicester City to emerge tops and bounce back to the top flight of the league, the EPL. Taiwo Awoniyi in the colours of Forest spent the better time of the season with the doctors than on the pitch. Paul Onuachu was also hot in Turkey. He scored 16 and registered 4 assists in all competitions for Trabzonspor.

Some Eagles defenders also made good impact in their respective teams. Bright Osai Samuel of Fernerbache was great with three goals and three assists while Ola Aina of Forest and Calvin Bassey of Fulham also gave a good account of themselves in the season under review. From African perspective, Mohammed Kudus of Ghana had a great season with West Ham just as Muhammed Salah was also spectacular with Liverpool.

Real Madrid emerged the champions in Spain, Inter Milan won in Italy, PSG won in France while Manchester City clinched the EPL for the fourth time. And so apart from Boniface, no other prominent Eagles star won the title in the top five leagues in Europe. It is not a particularly good season for Nigerian stars in the national team. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers around the corner, Eagles Head Coach Finidi George is expected to use the current form of these players in the season to get a solid bunch for the crucial games against South Africa in Uyo and Benin Republic in Cote d’Ivoire.

The scorecard is enough to suggest the players on the cards for the forthcoming assignment. Finidi must however come up with the best way to utilize the materials (players) at his disposal. His match reader should be very busy by now to provide the useful information required for the two games slated for next month.

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