Atlético Madrid Upset with Nigeria Football Federation Over Ademola Lookman Workload

Atlético Madrid have expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of Ademola Lookman by the Nigeria Football Federation during the recent international break.

The club, which paid €35 million for the forward following his impressive AFCON 2025 campaign, has been deliberately limiting his minutes to manage his fitness.

Since joining, Lookman has not played a full match under head coach Diego Simeone, with his longest outing being 73 minutes in a Copa del Rey victory against FC Barcelona.

In contrast, the situation changed during international duty with the Nigeria national football team, where he played almost entire matches in two friendlies—featuring for 89 minutes against Iran national football team and completing the full game against Jordan national football team.

Spanish outlet AS reports that Atlético consider the workload excessive for non-competitive matches, especially given their efforts to carefully manage his fitness.

The club are said to be frustrated that the opportunity to rotate players was not utilised, opting instead to rely heavily on Lookman.

With several players currently injured, Atlético are increasingly concerned about fatigue as they prepare for a congested fixture list.

Their schedule includes high-profile encounters with FC Barcelona, alongside matches against Sevilla FC, Real Sociedad, Elche CF, and Athletic Club, heightening concerns over squad fitness and rotation.

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