What Gasperini told Lookman en route to Ballon d’Or ceremony | OneFootball

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini made sure to remind Nigeria international Ademola Lookman that he also has his teammates  to thank after his 14th-place finish at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday evening.

The player and coach were both nominated for awards at the Ballon d’Or on Monday night. The tactician for Coach of the Year, eventually won by compatriot Carlo Ancelotti, and Lookman for the main award, which was eventually won by Manchester City’s Rodri.

Gasperini and Lookman, along with Atalanta patrons Antonio and Luca Percassi were all in attendance at the ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on Monday night.

Ademola Lookman arrives for the Ballon d’Or 2024 ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, 28 October 2024. EPA-EFE/MOHAMMED BADRA

What Gasperini said to Lookman about Ballon d’Or

The coach told La Gazzetta dello Sport what he said to Lookman on their flight over from Bergamo earlier that afternoon.

“He already knows that he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t have De Roon, Ederson, Djimsiti and that whole group behind him. It’s not guaranteed that he would have done the same thing had he been playing for a different team.

“So, I just asked him if we’d be wearing a tuxedo. He told me that he doesn’t want to wear one, but that he will wear a bow tie.”

The 26-year-old eventually finished 14th in the final Ballon d’Or rankings. He was the only African player included on the 30-player shortlist, and the second-highest rated Serie A player on the list, behind Inter captain Lautaro Martinez in seventh.