Ademola Lookman went from the highest moment of his career to one of the hardest seasons of his life.
A Europa League hat-trick.
African Footballer of the Year.
Then blocked moves, public criticism, broken promises, and a confrontation on the touchline.

In this episode, we slow down and walk through his journey with honesty.
Not the headlines.
Not the hot takes.
The human moments in between.

What did that summer truly feel like for him?
How did the public humiliation sting?
What does it mean to want freedom and be refused?
How does a player carry praise one month and pain the next?

This is not about judging performances or analysing tactics.
This is about the emotional weight an athlete carries when the world is watching and when the world is silent.

Ademola, are you okay?
I hope someone in his world is asking him that too.

Welcome to Beyond the Whistle.
Where footballers are human too.

The question we never ask, but every footballer deserves to hear.

In this first episode of Beyond the Whistle, Juliet Noah shares why she started this podcast and what it means to remember the human behind the player.