Ademola Lookman woke up on Thursday morning as the only Nigerian still in the Champions League. Not because he carried everyone there, but simply because every other name has dropped out.
One after another, they exited. Bruno Onyemaechi with Olympiacos in the playoffs. Raphael Onyedika with Club Brugge also in the playoffs, beaten by Lookman’s own Atletico Madrid.
Nathan Tella and Victor Boniface at Bayer Leverkusen were taken apart by Arsenal over two legs, and neither of the Super Eagles players featured.
Then came the toughest blow. Victor Osimhen walked down the Anfield tunnel at half time with a broken arm, while Liverpool went on to score four goals in the second half without him.
Every Super Eagles presence in the Champions League has faded. Only one remains after Atletico edged past Tottenham.
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Lookman was never meant to carry this alone. He only joined Atletico Madrid in February, and within seventeen days of arriving from Atalanta, he had already made his mark with three goals and two assists in five matches.
He adapted quickly to a new club, a new city, and a new league in the middle of the season. Now, with Osimhen injured and the rest eliminated, he carries Nigeria’s hopes into the quarterfinals of Europe’s biggest club competition.
He did not ask for this responsibility, but he stands as the last Nigerian left. Eight teams remain, and Barcelona are up next.
The draw has not been easy. Atletico will face Barcelona, a team their manager Diego Simeone has described as the best attacking side in Europe.
This is a team that recently crushed Newcastle 8 to 3 on aggregate, and one Lookman already knows well from their meetings in the Copa del Rey and La Liga.
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They understand each other, and this time the stakes are much higher.
What makes it all more striking is the bigger picture. Nigeria will not be at the World Cup. Osimhen is sidelined and facing surgery.
The Super Eagles are preparing for friendly matches against Iran and Jordan, teams getting ready for a tournament Nigeria will be watching from home.
There has not been much for Nigerian football fans to hold onto lately. Yet Lookman remains, quietly delivering where it matters most, on the biggest stage, when others have fallen away.
He is the last one standing. At a time when Nigerian football has taken several hits, from Osimhen’s injury to the absence from the World Cup, Lookman represents the one bright light still shining in Europe’s top competition. That is no small thing. It means everything.
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