"Footwork magic": Lookman clinches the GOTM for February
Voted by the Nerazzurri fans on all our social accounts
Encara (and encore)... Lookman! And so, after a voting fever ran rampant all weekend long, the die for the February 2025 Goal of the Month has finally been cast: with the Monday homestretch now over, here comes the finale of a textbook "three-act tragedy"... After overcoming the caucus, here come Lookman and Éderson, squaring off in the scramble for the GOTM "Oval Office" in true "House of Cards fashion: after breezing through the Group Stage by trouncing a fierce competition as they reached Election Day with nearly identical percentages, it was now or never for the two Nerazzurri candidates!
A no-holds barred showdown unfolded on Monday, as the two heavyweights of February duked it out on the Atalanta social media ring until the final bell, at 16:30 CET, when the final whistle (or the gong, to stick with the boxing analogy) declared Ademola Lookman the winner!
As always, here are the 'exit polls,' before we dive into the nitty-gritty of our four finalists:
GROUP A
- Winner: Éderson Dos Santos, Hellas Verona 0-5 Atalanta, 2024/25 Serie A Enilive MD24 (59%);
- Runner-up: Davide Zappacosta, Empoli 0-5 Atalanta, 2024/25 Serie A Enilive MD26 (23%);
- 3rd place: Edoardo Lonardo, Atalanta 1-1 Juventus (3-5 on penalties), 2024/25 Coppa Italia Primavera (18%)
GROUP B
- Winner: Ademola Lookman, Empoli 0-5 Atalanta, 2024/25 Serie A Enilive MD26 (58,5%);
- Runner-up: Mateo Retegui, Hellas Verona 0-5 Atalanta, 2024/25 Serie A Enilive MD24 (35%);
- 3rd place: Dominic Vavassori, Atalanta U23s 1-1 AlbinoLeffe, 2024/25 Serie C NOW MD28 (6,5%)
FINAL STAGE
Runner-up: Éderson Dos Santos, Hellas Verona 0-5 Atalanta, 2024/25 Serie A Enilive MD24 (46%);
Winner:Ademola Lookman, Empoli 0-5 Atalanta, 2024/25 Serie A Enilive MD26 (54%)
Next, don’t miss the IG reels to relive the 4 best goals of February!
GROUP A Runner-up: Davide Zappacosta, Empoli 0-5 Atalanta, 2024/25 Serie A Enilive MD26 (23%)
We set off in our climb toward the February summit with the first of the (illustrious) Group Stage casualties, Davide Zappacosta! Despite coming to its halt in the group stage, the Sora-born full-back completes his gold rush with a well-deserved second place in Group A, accruing 23% of voting. The first runner-up honour this month goes to the goal -his fifth thus far this season- which, as if faith had a hand in it, capped off the Nerazzurri's five-goal romp at the Castellani stadium!
Pašalić plays it wide to Zappacosta, who, from a narrow angle zeroes in on the box as he takes on Sambia: a controlled touch and a flurry of steps forward to cut inside as the black-and-blue 77 gets on shooting range. Target locked and , upon nestling in his "sweet spot", Atalanta's wingback caps off his solo play by firing off a curling daisy-cutter straight to the bottom corner just inside the post... Silvestri simply had no chance: the Nerazzurri manita has been dealt!
GROUP B Runner-up: Mateo Retegui, Hellas Verona 0-5 Atalanta, 2024/25 Serie A Enilive MD24 (35%)
Switching gears from one group (and one five-goal show) to the next, let's move on to Mateo Retegui, the silver medalist of Group B: 35% of the votes, that's the tally racked up by the reigning POTM in his bid to stamp out Lookman and pull off a clean sweep of February laurels... After all, with his stunning four-goal performance in Verona, leaving our number 32 out of the top scorer race would’ve been nothing short of sacrilege!
Hence, second place in Group B for the fourth ace dealt on the Bentegodi green carpet: playing as an "impromptu" quarterback, Brescianini finds de Roon with a Super Bowl-esque pass. Making a beeline towards the byline down the left wing, the Oranje number 15 whips in a ball for an on-rushing Retegui, who, with a first-time no-look shot, slots it into the far post, scoring "the try" for Atalanta. With Mateo showing a poker the Nerazzurri manita is dealt... Ring any bells?
FINAL STAGE Runner-up: Éderson Dos Santos, Hellas Verona 0-5 Atalanta, 2024/25 Serie A Enilive MD24 (46%)
Runner-up honours for the outgoing GOTM, Éderson! The Atalanta number 13 came heartbreakingly close to repeating last month's victory with his golaço in Verona, a Carioca twist amid the Retegui hurricane! A second-place finish coming from a goal that capped off a rather trademark EdS13 play: after pressing Niasse and snatching the ball back, the Atalanta all-rounder embarked on a coast-to-coast run as he sliced through the Bentegodi pitch like a blade through paper. Then a faint and a counter-feint to break the Scaliger defence with a touch of capoeira to leave Ghilardi groggy before unleashing a right-footed snook-shot that found the back of Montipòìs net right after kissing the post.
FINAL STAGE Winner: Ademola Lookman, Empoli 0-5 Atalanta, 2024/25 Serie A Enilive MD26 (54%)
And so, here we come with the winner of this double-tap Goal of the Month pageant... Who else but Ademola Lookman? Your Monday Motivation for March 24th comes courtesy of Mola: after dominating Group B, it is the 11 who takes the crown, coming out as the last-goal-standing in February following the mano-a-mano against Éderson! And in case you wondered, the choice of words is no accident, especially given how the "King of goals" came to be...
A pinpoint pass from de Roon finds Retegui who, after controlling the ball, sends Lookman through with a perfectly threaded ball between the lines - showcasing "the flair of a 9 (or rather 32 in Mateo's case) with a finesse of a 10". One-on-one with Silvestri, Lookman finishes an already masterful choral play with the silkies of moves: swaying with the tempo of a metronome, Mola sidesteps the Empoli keeper before gently tucking the goal into an empty net... Ladies and gentlemen, behold the GOTM of February!