There are four London-born players on the 30-man shortlist for this year’s Ballon d’Or, and three of them will be on the pitch when Arsenal meet Atalanta in northern Italy on Thursday night. You can probably guess two quite easily: Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are among the most recognisable faces in the European game.

As for the third? Well, few observers of Premier League football would ever have expected Ademola Lookman to be named among the best 30 players on the planet. But there he is, the Wandsworth-born former Charlton Athletic winger, featuring on perhaps the most prestigious list in world football.

Not so long ago, Lookman was probably best known by English football supporters for his failed “Panenka” penalty attempt for Fulham in November 2020. The 95th-minute effort, with his side trailing 1-0 at West Ham United, was one of the Premier League’s worst ever spot-kicks. “You can’t take penalties like that,” fumed Scott Parker, his manager.

These days, however, Lookman has a far more impressive claim to fame. Not only as the only African player on this year’s Ballon d’Or list (Lookman now represents Nigeria, having enjoyed a successful youth career with England) but also as the match-winning sensation of last season’s Europa League final.

Lookman’s three goals for Atalanta, against a Bayer Leverkusen side that had not lost in 51 matches, represented one of the great hat-tricks in the history of European football. It was not just the fact of the hat-trick – the first in the final of a major Uefa competition since 1975 – but also the quality of it: the first and third strikes were extraordinary in their execution.

“The first two goals were for his club,” said former England international Joe Cole, on punditry duty that night. “The third was for the streets.” Another ex-England player, Owen Hargreaves, stood up in the commentary box and applauded when Lookman converted the third, smashed into the top corner with his left foot.

That night in Dublin provided the most vivid illustration of Lookman’s technical skill, which was honed on the streets of Peckham and Camberwell. Unlike Saka, his opponent on Thursday, Lookman had no schooling at a slick Premier League academy and no elite-level coaching as a child. Before joining Charlton at 16, he had only played Sunday league football.

A consequence of this unusual journey, perhaps, is that Lookman’s football is a little more raw and unrefined than those from an academy background. This makes it all the more spectacular when he shines, as he did in that final in May and again just a few days ago in Serie A, when he produced a brilliant goal and assist against Fiorentina.

Until that victory on Sunday, it had been a strange start to the season for Lookman. He had interest from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the window, which contributed to him being dropped from the squad for the start of the league campaign. “He had difficulties in the transfer market but we told him to stay calm,” said Berat Djimsiti, the Atalanta defender, at the weekend.

Now back in the team and back on form, Lookman represents one of the most obvious threats to Arsenal, alongside Italian striker Mateo Retegui. Lookman scored 32 goals in his first two seasons in Italy, after a loan spell at Leicester City, and knows what is required of him under long-serving manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

It is clear that Lookman has benefited from finding stability, at last, in his senior career. Before moving to Atalanta from RB Leipzig in 2022, he had never spent two full consecutive seasons at one club. At Everton, Leipzig, Fulham and Leicester he showed glimpses of his talent and creative ability, but without demonstrating real consistency. Prior to moving to Italy, the most goals he had ever scored in a single season was eight.

“Lookman is a top player today, but he was not before,” said Gasperini at the end of last season. “He was strong, but tended to light up in flashes and at other times would disappear from the game. He was the same in training sessions. What he did in the last few weeks feels like his maturity.”

Lookman is a quiet man who evidently cares deeply about where he came from. Growing up in London, he was the man of the house from a young age – his father lived in Nigeria with one of his sisters, while he lived in England with his mother and other sister. A professional life in football was never guaranteed and he worked hard in school, achieving impressive GCSEs, before his path to Charlton suddenly opened up.

From London to Lombardy, it has not been a straightforward journey for Lookman. The talent was always there, though, and at Atalanta he has finally found an environment in which he can thrive.