By our reporter 12.2.2026
Former Super Eagles Jose Peseiro has claimed that it was his encouragement to Ademola Lookman that made him to rise in football.
The Portuguese coach who guided the Super Eagles to a silver finish at the 2023 African Cup of Nations, but quit after he failed to reach a new contract agreement with the Nigeria Football Federation disclosed that the Lookman was chattered when England failed to call him after he won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2017 scoring three goals.
Peseiro said when Lookman joined the Super Eagles instead, he did not look too sharp even though he had the potentials to explode.
“Although he (Lookman) had made his debut, he didn’t always play. I saw his potential, made him a consistent tarter, and he exploded,” Peseiro told Marca.
“He began to have fantastic seasons and was crucial in getting us to the Africa Cup of Nations final and in Atalanta winning the Europa League with his three goals.
“Osimhen was the star, but he hasn’t been far behind; he’s even scored more goals (Lookman has six in 13 games, compared to the Galatasaray striker’s five in 14). Now they’re both stars.”
Peseiro said Lookman confessed to him that he wasn’t happy the Three Lions did not look his way after playing for them at the U-19, U-20, and U-21 levels.
“He was just a kid, but he always told me how sad he was because after winning the Under-20 World Cup in 2017 and reaching the Under-21s, England stopped calling him up.
“He didn’t understand it; he thought he had a future there, but he had to accept it.
“So, since his parents were Nigerian, he accepted the call a few months before I arrived.”