Former Nigerian defender, Godwin Okpara, has expressed support for Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman following his move to Atletico Madrid.
Lookman completed his switch from Italian side Atalanta to the Spanish giants during the January transfer window and made his La Liga debut on Sunday in a clash against Real Betis.
Reacting to the transfer in an interview with Footy Africa, Okpara described the move as the triggering right decision, insisting that the Spanish league offers far greater global exposure than the Turkish top flight, where Fenerbahce had also shown interest.
“Just look at it when you look at Fenerbahçe, and look at Atletico Madrid. Even a blind person would not choose Fenerbahçe. Not that it’s not a good league. It’s a good league. But exposure is where you want to improve your game, where the whole world will see you. This is the league [La Liga]. This is the right league for him to go to,” Okpara revealed.
“You know, we are not saying that the Turkish league is bad, no. Would you want people to see you? People all over the world are watching La Liga. Two people are watching the Turkish league. So, I mean, nobody would take Fenerbahçe rather than going to Atletico Madrid.
“So it’s the right choice. They know themselves that Lookman will not come. They just tried, and at the end of the day, he wouldn’t take them. It’s a gamble thing. I’m very happy for him. And it’s good for our nation.”
