Not even a year ago, Ademola Lookman was the toast of a city. The Nigerian scored all three goals as Atalanta thrashed Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final in Dublin to lift a European trophy for the first time in their history.

Still unbeaten in all competitions and chasing an unprecedented Treble, Leverkusen were no match for Gian Piero Gasperini’s merry band. Atalanta’s relentless pressing and devil-may-care approach had already accounted for Sporting, Liverpool and Olympique Marseille, now it caused Xabi Alonso’s finely-tuned machine to short-circuit at the Aviva Stadium.

At the centre of it all was Lookman, the London-born Nigeria international who became only the sixth player to score a hat-trick in a UEFA competition final, and the first since 1975. For context, the list includes the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas twice.

The 27-year-old’s third goal in the final was his 17th in all competitions, a career-best bettering the 15 he had scored the previous season, his debut campaign for Atalanta.

Lookman has already matched the latter figure this term and he could have been just one short of his total from last season had he converted a 61st minute penalty in La Dea‘s 3-1 defeat against Club Bruges in the second leg of the Champions League play-offs on Tuesday night. But he missed, as Atalanta crashed out of Europe after losing 5-2 on aggregate.

More significantly, the miss sparked a spat with Gasperini that appears irreconcilable.

The Atalanta manager described Lookman, who scored within a minute of coming on at half-time, as “one of the worst penalty takers I have ever seen” in an astonishing post-match interview, before elaborating further.

“He has a frankly terrible record even in training, he converts very few of them,” he continued.

“[Mateo] Retegui and [Charles] De Ketelaere were there, but Lookman in a moment of enthusiasm after scoring decided to take the ball and that was a gesture I did not appreciate at all.”

If Gasperini did not appreciate Lookman taking the penalty, the Atalanta striker was less than impressed at being singled out by his manager and hit back on Wednesday.

“It saddens me on a day like this to have to write this statement — most of all because of what we have achieved together as a team and as a city,” he said in a statement shared on his social media.

“Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurts but feels deeply disrespectful, not least because of the immense hard work and commitment I have always put in each and every day to help bring success to this club and to the incredible fans of Bergamo.

“In truth, I have dealt with many difficult moments during my time here — the majority of which I have never spoken about because in my opinion the team must always be protected and must come first. This makes what happened last night even more hurtful.

“Along with our incredible fans, we as a team are hurting too with last night’s result. During the match the designated penalty taker instructed me to take the penalty; and to support the team I took responsibility in the moment to do so.

“Life’s about challenges and turning pain into power which I’ll continue to do.”

Lookman’s contract runs out at the end of next season and Atalanta have the option to extend it for a further 12 months, but it is difficult to envisage the Nigeria international staying in Bergamo past the end of the current campaign.

It is a sorry ending to what, up until Tuesday night, had been a successful marriage.

Signed from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2022 for €9.35m (£8m), Lookman hit the ground running under Gasperini in Bergamo, playing either as a second striker or out wide in Atalanta’s front three.

Lookman was the club’s leading goalscorer in all competitions in his first season as he helped Atalanta to finish fifth in Serie A, before delivering European glory last term and a spot in the Coppa Italia final.

The man who grew up honing his skills in the so-called cages – small, all-weather football pitches normally found across housing estates – of south London had a penchant for the big occasions too.

He scored the equaliser in the second leg of the tie against Sporting, before scoring one and setting up another as Atalanta demolished Marseille 3-0 in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final. Then, of course, came his piece de resistance in Dublin against a Leverkusen side that had not lost in 51 matches.

Even Retegui taking centre stage after arriving from Genoa in the summer, Lookman has started 23 of his 28 appearances in all competitions this season and the goals have kept coming.

Five in seven Champions League matches, 10 in 19 games in Serie A including a brace as Atalanta became the first team to beat Napoli at the Maradona this season and another goal against the Partenopei in the reverse fixture last month.

Lookman’s contribution, along with seven assists, has kept the Bergamaschi in the title race, five points adrift of league leaders Napoli with 13 matches left.

His immediate future, however, is uncertain. Will Gasperini deprive his team of one of its most potent weapons by benching Lookman or will he continue to trust the Nigerian in the hope they can work together until the end of the season?

Under the 67-year-old, La Dea have been transformed from an average Serie A side into one of the best and most thrilling teams in Europe, all against the backdrop of a shiny new stadium. Winning the Scudetto would be the most incredible chapter of an already extraordinary fairytale and the biggest upset in Serie A’s history since Verona triumphed against all odds in 1985.

But the fallout between Lookman and Gasperini is a timely reminder that even the greatest romance can turn sour.