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Spain’s Atlético Madrid winger Ademola Lookman will make a symbolic and emotional return to the place of his roots at England’s Charlton Athletic FC next month, Sports247 reports.
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This follows confirmation that the Nigerian Super Eagles will take part in this year’s Unity Cup at the stadium of Charlton Athletic, the London-based lower division English club for which Lookman played from 2013 to 2017.
Lookman will surely be part of the Super Eagles team that will be at Charlton’s famous Valley Stadium to tango with Zimbabwe, India and Jamaica in this year’s edition of the four-nation invitational competition they won last year.
It was with Charlton that the 2024 African Footballer of the Year made his senior debut on 3 November 2015, having previously joined The Addicks’ academy in 2013 from Waterloo, a youth club based in the London borough of Lambeth.
His goalscoring record with Charlton’s U18 and U21 teams was reflected in the first team, as he bagged his first goal for the club in a 3–2 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion on 5 December 2015 and a brace in a 2–2 draw against Bolton Wanderers ten days later.
Great form with Charlton earned Lookman a four-and-a-half-year contract at Everton on January 5, 2017 for an initial fee of £7.5 million, which could rise to £11 million with add-ons, and his journey to stardom entered the highway of rapid progress.
Memories will come alive again at The Valley on May 26 for Ademola Olajade Alade Aylola Lookman, who was born to Nigerian parents on October 20, 1997 in Wandsworth, Greater London.
He attended St Thomas the Apostle College in Nunhead, where he achieved three As and a further five As in his GCSEs; all of which belongs to the distant past, losing importance in the face of the impact it will surely unleash when it returns to its roots.
That impact is expected to come on May 26 in the colors of the Nigerian Super Eagles, with whom the boy of yesterday, who is now a man of many laurels, will line up to perform against Zimbabwe in the opening match of the Unity Cup 2026.
Details of Lookman’s imminent return to The Valley are provided in a press release from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which revealed that the star’s first senior club will host what has been dubbed a “revamped four-nation tournament”.
The statement read in part: “Following the massive success of the 2025 edition, which saw Nigeria crowned champions in Brentford, the 2026 tournament marks a sentimental return to south London.
“The Unity Cup was held in The Valley in 2004, a historic event involving Nigeria, Jamaica and the Republic of Ireland that solidified the competition’s reputation for combining elite sport with cultural celebration.
“The tournament begins with a high-stakes African heavyweight clash: Nigeria against Zimbabwe. This inaugural semi-final serves as a massive rematch after their intense 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.
“In the second semi-final, Jamaica will take on India, a match that promises to be as much a spectacle in the stands as it is on the pitch. Fans will take part in ‘Jam-In’ at The Valley as they witness a vibrant culture clash between Dancehall and Desi.”
