Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone was elated with Ademola Lookman‘s performance in his side's 5-0 win over Real Betis in the Copa del Rey quarter-final last night, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 28-year-old only just joined from Atalanta in a €40m deal, and immediately started training with Los Rojiblancos so he could feature in their Copa del Rey clash, considering Alexander Sorloth was out with an injury and Julian Alvarez with a virus.
Simeone paired Lookman with Antoine Griezmann in Atletico's attack, and the decision paid off after 37 minutes.
David Hancko and Giulanni Simeone had already put the Red and Whites two goals up inside 30 minutes before Lookman scored a brilliant solo goal from an Atleti counter seven minutes later.
ADEMOLA LOOKMAN SCORES HIS FIRST GOAL FOR ATLETICO MADRID! ✨pic.twitter.com/I71XaflNaZ
— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) February 5, 2026
Simeone's reaction to the Nigerian's goal was epic as he couldn't hide his elation before he urged his team to go for more.
Lookman has changed Simeone’s life.
He’s never seen this kind of baller before
— TobyWrites (@tobyasky) February 5, 2026
The goal was a landmark strike for the 2024 CAF Player of the Year, as it was his 100th in his career. In the second half, Lookman turned provider, setting up Antoine Griezmann before Thiago Almada completed the rout in the 83rd minute.
Diego Simeone praises Ademola Lookman in Atletico debut
The Colchoneros’ coach highlighted the role of new signing Ademola Lookman in particular, praising his ability to get stuck in immediately.
“He doesn't need an adaptation time. He’s a big lad, he’s already 28 years old,” the 55-year-old said in quotes revealed by Into the Calderon.
“He came to help us, and we hope to help him too so that he can continue to grow. He has different qualities than the players we have, and he will make us better.”
“The team played very well. Betis had started well, but the goal from a set piece gave us confidence in our game. With a lot of hard work and quality play, we were able to maintain that level in the first half.
“There were important things. The team has been playing important matches, and the goal puts us in a better position.
“In the second half, we continued with better intentions. This isn’t stopping. We need to rest quickly because we’re playing on Sunday.
“We don’t just stick to one way of playing. The team is prepared to play in different ways, and that’s what we’re going for.
Atletico suffered another injury in the 50th minute, adding salt to their wounds. Pablo Barrios hobbled off in the 50th minute and was replaced by Rodrigo Mendoza.
“Pablo is a key player in midfield. He’s very important to us. We try to look after him as best we can, but today he got injured, and there will be room for another teammate who can give their best.
“Rodrigo came to play in midfield, and he will certainly help us. He’s just starting out, we told him that age doesn’t matter here; talented players who work hard to play do so, whether they’re 35 or 20. It’s normal that Mateu (Alemany) is happy, like everyone else.
Quizzed about Julian Alvarez's absence on the night, the former Inter Milan midfielder said;
“He had a bad night, a difficult morning, he came, he wanted to be there, but we understood that it wasn’t good to put him on because the effort wasn’t going to be good for his condition,” Simeone concluded.
Up next for the 2014 La Liga winners is another clash against Real Betis, but this time at the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday.
