Ademola Lookman breaks silence on Diego Simeone apology after Atletico Madrid positional switch

Super Eagles attacker Ademola Lookman has responded to Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone’s apology for playing him out of position at the start of the 2026/2027 La Liga season.

Simeone deployed Lookman as a centre-forward in Atletico’s opening two league matches against Malaga and Villarreal, but the 28-year-old struggled to make his usual impact, failing to score or provide an assist.

The Argentine manager later apologised to Lookman, acknowledging that playing him through the middle was not his preferred position. Simeone had been forced into the tactical adjustment because Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth were unavailable.

Lookman, however, has maintained a positive outlook on his relationship with the Atletico boss and his coaching staff, insisting he remains committed to learning and improving under Simeone.

Lookman responds with goal against Sevilla

A return to his favoured position on the left wing against Sevilla produced an immediate response from the Nigerian forward.

Lookman opened his Atletico scoring account for the season as Simeone’s side secured a 3-1 victory at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on Saturday.

The 2024 CAF Player of the Year was pleased with the result and believes Atletico’s strong start provides a platform for further improvement.

“It was important for us to continue in the way we’ve started the season,” Lookman said in an interview with ESPN.

“Three games, seven points, it’s positive. So, we have to keep on improving, keep on getting better as a team, and then winning, it’s the most important.”

‘I am learning a lot’ – Lookman

Despite the early positional experiment, Lookman says he is enjoying working with Simeone and sees the manager’s experience as crucial to his development.

“Playing under the Mister is great. I am learning a lot and trying to improve. Learning from him and his staff is important for me to keep improving and help the team,” he said.

Lookman will now hope to build on his Sevilla performance when Atletico travel to face Athletic Club on Saturday.