Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini has disclosed the reason behind Ademola Lookman's resurgence in form since joining Atalanta in 2022.

The Nigerian international finished 14th at the 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony held on Monday, October 28.

Lookman, 27, was the only African footballer to make the list of 30 players shortlisted for the coveted prize following his stellar campaign with Atalanta last season.

He guided Atalanta to their first-ever European title after scoring a historic hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final.

Gasperini has attributed Lookman's incredible form to the support from his Atalanta teammates.

“He (Lookman) already knows that he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t have De Roon, Ederson, Djimsiti, and that whole group behind him. It’s not guaranteed that he would have done the same thing had he been playing for a different team,” Gasperini told La Gazzetta Dello Sport.

“So, I just asked him if we’d be wearing a tuxedo. He told me that he doesn’t want to wear one, but that he will wear a bow tie.”

Lookman is already the favorite to win the African Footballer of the Year award, which is set to be held in December.