AFCON 2025
Ademola Lookman will wear the number 11 jersey for Atletico Madrid ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, moving on from the number 22 shirt he wore throughout his debut half-season in Madrid. The number has become available following Thiago Almada’s departure from the club, with the Argentine completing a move to River Plate in a deal worth around €20 million after just one season at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
Almada’s spell in Spain never quite took off after his move from Botafogo, via a loan at Lyon, in July 2025. He began last season as a starter under Diego Simeone but suffered a muscle injury in September that cost him five weeks and disrupted his early adaptation to the club. campaign.
Atleti announced his jersey number switch in a video going viral on social media as he looks set for his first full season with the Rojiblancos following his arrival from Atalanta in the January transfer window.
Meanwhile, Lookman joined Atletico from Atalanta in a deal reportedly worth €35 million on transfer deadline day in February, signing a contract that runs until 2030. He wasted no time making an impact, scoring on his debut in a 5-0 Copa del Rey rout of Real Betis just three days after completing his move, needing only 37 minutes to open his account for the club.
The Super Eagles forward went on to become a key figure for Simeone’s side across the second half of the season, contributing seven goals and four assists in all competitions before injury interrupted his campaign. He scored in LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, including a goal in the quarter-final win over Barcelona, and quickly formed a productive partnership with Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann in Atletico’s attack.
His standout individual moment came in the Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad, where he equalised in the 19th minute with a low strike through the legs of a defender, becoming only the second Nigerian after Finidi George to score in the competition’s showpiece match. Atletico were ultimately beaten 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw, denying Lookman a first trophy in Madrid.
Ademola Lookman also featured prominently as Atletico reached the Champions League semi-finals, their best European run in years, before falling to eventual runners-up Arsenal.
Having settled quickly into life in Spain, Lookman now heads into his first full season at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano wearing the number 11 shirt vacated by Almada, with growing expectations after a debut half-campaign that showed flashes of the quality that made him African Footballer of the Year in 2024.
