Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman was involved in a heated exchange with his manager, Ivan Juric, during their 1-0 Champions League victory over Marseille at the Stade Orange Vélodrome on Wednesday night.
The Nigerian international was substituted midway through the second half, with the scores still goalless and appeared to mutter something as he walked past Juric.
The Croatian manager reacted angrily, grabbing Lookman by the arm before club CEO Luca Percassi and teammate Marten de Roon stepped in to separate the pair and calm the situation.
Read Also: Five Premier League clubs join race for Ademola Lookman
Lookman, visibly upset, exchanged further words with Juric before heading to the bench. Tensions reportedly continued after the final whistle, even as Atalanta celebrated Lazar Samardzic’s late winner in the 89th minute.
Sky Sport Italia reported that Lookman and Juric had another verbal exchange post-match, though the incident did not escalate further. Juric later downplayed the confrontation, attributing it to emotions running high in a crucial European fixture.
“It’s the usual thing we see in football, some players don’t like being substituted,” Juric told reporters. “These things happen in the heat of the moment. What matters is the team, the club, and our fans. I understand it, we move on.”
Lookman, who joined Atalanta from RB Leipzig in 2022, has been one of the club’s key performers but has also had previous disciplinary run-ins. Earlier this year, Lookman clashed with former manager Gian Piero Gasperini, who publicly criticised his penalty-taking record.
Despite the off-field tension, Lookman remains one of Atalanta’s most influential players, with 53 goals and 25 assists in 127 senior appearances since moving to Bergamo.
