Lookman: "Cholo" and his teammates are always harmonious, there's no real rift

Ahead of LaLiga Matchday 7 against Real Madrid at home, Atlético Madrid forward Lookman spoke to ESPN.

Ademola Lookman. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too.

You've had an extraordinary experience. You joined mid-season last year, and the club quickly felt a new atmosphere. But I'm very interested to know from your perspective, how does it feel to join Atlético Madrid, a train already moving at full speed?

Yes. Actually, I always say that my integration here has been very smooth and felt great. This is especially thanks to the people here, the atmosphere in the dressing room, both the coaching staff and my teammates, who all welcomed me very warmly. Because of that, everything else on the pitch becomes much easier. Since everything off the pitch is very relaxed, I'm very happy to be here. Of course, training and playing here, being in Madrid, and truly feeling the love from the fans, that feeling is really extraordinary.

Now that you've passed the adaptation phase, how do you assess last season? Because you almost reached the Champions League final with the team, fought hard in LaLiga, and also reached the Copa del Rey final, but finished the season empty-handed. Looking back on all those experiences, what lessons did you take? How do you feel now?

I think, looking back, we did have some very brilliant performances. I think both as a team and as individuals, you always want to be better, always looking for areas where you can continue to develop. I think that's all you can do. Find areas that need improvement, then commit and work hard. Work on those aspects, become more united as a team, and in reality, we have done that. And you can only focus on the present, the present is what matters most, today is what matters most. So do your best today, and strive to improve yourself, that's all.

The team is currently performing well, playing very nicely, with impressive performances, and has built a strong relationship with the fans. However, at the start of the season, because of the Alvarez situation, things were not easy. From the dressing room perspective, from the players' perspective, how did you handle all of this?

Football is football. As for outside noise, news from outside the pitch, external pressure, everything that happens outside, that doesn't really...

But he's also your teammate.

Yes, of course. He is, of course, our teammate, someone we value greatly, and an important player for us. But as I said, football is football, this is part of our job, part of our career. What's important is always to play well. So as an individual, I focus on the game, and I'm confident other team members do too, focusing on the game itself and doing our best.

As a teammate, as a colleague, and also as a person, do you feel you have a responsibility to try to bridge the gap, to help resolve this situation in some way? Because Alvarez might indeed feel sad, unhappy, or even depressed, and that's not easy—I mean on a personal psychological level, right? I'm not talking about contract issues or things between him and the club, I'm talking about someone's emotions.

Of course, we're human beings. Just like you and me, you have emotions, and I have emotions. You might have certain feelings in certain situations, and I'll have my own feelings. Everyone is like this, it's human nature, everyone experiences emotional fluctuations. But ultimately...

So what do you do? I mean, personally, do you try to fix that relationship, to keep things smooth? Is that possible?

Everyone's relationships are always harmonious, they always exist. There's nothing really broken, I don't feel there's any rift at all.

I mean to help him get through it, to make him feel better, right?

Alvarez is a top player, he knows that, the whole team knows that, everyone knows that. He's very important to us, and that's the most crucial thing. Because ultimately, we play football, we want to win as many matches as possible, we want to bring joy and excitement to our fans and supporters, and that's what matters most. I think that's why we're here—to play well and deliver exciting matches.

Do you think the strained relationship between him and the fans can still be repaired?

Well... that question should be left to football to answer, I don't think it's for me to answer. Ultimately...

Ultimately, football will speak. Yes, it all depends on football.

It really all depends on football. As I said, bringing joy and excitement to the fans, to everyone, and winning as many matches as possible, that's what matters most. That's my view. I don't know what you think, or what others think, but that's how it is.

How are you looking forward to the upcoming Madrid Derby? It's a very crucial match. You're currently performing well, with excellent teamwork. Real Madrid has picked up points, but perhaps hasn't played their ideal game yet, though they're still a top team. How do you see this big clash?

I think this will definitely be a difficult contest. Two top teams facing each other, both wanting to dominate the game and show their strength. There's no doubt that we're very much looking forward to this tough match, and we're ready for it.

Jan Diomande is quick, technically skilled, and good at dribbling; some of his technical attributes are quite similar to yours. How do you see him? He's still very young.

Yes, he's still very young, but as everyone can see, he has very high standards, everyone knows his ability. He's another talented player coming to LaLiga, and he'll work hard to show his ability and try to do his best. So, best of luck to him.

But you can't wish him well in Sunday's match! (laughs)

Best of luck to him, but of course, not including Sunday's match. (laughs)

Do you think the spectacle of the first derby at the Metropolitano last season can be repeated this time? I mean scoring many goals against Real Madrid?

The team has done it before, and we'll try to perform at that level again. We need to create chances, create as many chances as possible, and convert them into goals with all our might.

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