Few players that obviously have bagfuls of talent have had quite the strange career that Romelu Lukaku has had. The Belgian has played for some of the biggest teams in the game, from Chelsea to Manchester United, Inter Milan to Roma. Such was the extent that he was well-fancied by the Blues that he was actually signed for them twice, but failed to make a big enough impression either time to avoid being sent out on loan. When you consider that he was the club’s record signing the second time around, it makes it all the more remarkable that he simply wasn’t able to live up to the hype of his reputation at Stamford Bridge.
Who is Romelu Lukaku?
Romelu Lukaku Bolingoli was born on the 13th of May 1993 in the Belgian capital of Antwerp. His parents were from Congo with his father, Roger Lukaku, having played professionally and capped as an international for Zaire. His younger brother Jordan is also a professional footballer, whilst his cousin, Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo, was a left-sided winder. A practising Catholic, he made the pilgrimage to Lourdes in 2014 and he regularly speaks out about racism in the game. In 2009 he went on a school trip to Stamford Bridge and said, “What a stadium. If one day in my life I will cry, it will be the day I play here. I love Chelsea”.
Breaking into Football
When Romelu Lukaku was five-years-old he was signed to play for his local team, Rupel Boom. He played there for four seasons before scouts working for the Belgian Pro League side Lierse, who were establishing an Academy, noticed him and and took him to the club in 2004. He remained there for two years, scoring 121 goals in 68 matches, but when Lierse were relegated out of the Belgian Pro League he was signed by Anderlecht alongside 12 other youth prospects. Over the following three years, Lukaku scored 131 goals in 93 games for the Anderlecht youth team, catching the eye of senior coaches.
When he turned 16, Lukaku signed a professional contract with Anderlecht that had him contracted to the Belgian club until 2012. He made his First Division debut 11 days later when he came on as a 69th minute substitute for Victor Bernández in a match that the club lost 1-0. He became a regular for Anderlecht the following season, scoring his first senior goal against Zulte Waregem on the 28th of August 2009. He finished the campaign as the Pro League’s top scorer, netting 15 times as he helped Anderlecht win the club’s 15th title. The following season he scored 20 times in all competitions.
Signing for Chelsea the First Time
Such was Romelu Lukaku’s ability to stick the ball into the back of the net that he soon caught the eye of other top European clubs, with Chelsea making the decision to sign him on a five-year contract in the August of 2011. He was signed for £10 million, with the fee potentially rising to £17 million with add-ons. His Stamford Bridge debut came in a 3-1 win over Norwich City when he replaced Fernando Torres in the 83rd minute, whilst is first start came against Fulham in the League Cup. He spent most of his first season with the reserves, not starting a Premier League game until the 13th of May 2012 against Blackburn Rovers.
At the end of his debut season the Belgian said that he was disappointed with his lack of involvement, even going so far as to refuse to hold the trophy when Chelsea won the Champions League on the 19th of May 2012. He said, “It wasn’t me, but my team that won”. During the summer there was speculation that the striker might be sent on loan to fellow London side Fulham, with the feeling being from many that he needed to gain some experience of life in the Premier League in order to succeed as a forward in England. The dream he had had as a teenager to play for Chelsea and emulate Didier Drogba looked unlikely to come to fruition.
Loan Moves & Leaving Stamford Bridge
On the tenth of August 2012, Lukaku signed a loan deal to join West Bromwich Albion for the season. His first league goal came against Liverpool eight days later, whilst his full debut came when he scored the only goal of a 1-0 win over Reading. Over the course the campaign, the Belgian impressed at the Hawthorns, with the club keen to keep hold of him. He told the press that he wished to become a Chelsea legend, proving he could do so by scoring a perfect hat-trick against Manchester United on the 19th of May after coming on a second-half substitute, helping the Baggies to a 5-5 draw in his last match at the club.
Having out-scored all of his Chelsea teammates in the Premier League that season, he returned to Stamford Bridge and played two Premier League games as well as in the UEFA Super Cup, missing the decisive penalty. On the final day of the window, a deal was agreed to see him depart West London for Merseyside as he signed a season-long loan with Everton. When he scored twice in a 3-3 draw in the first Merseyside derby of the season, he said it was the best experience of his career to that point. Having scored 15 times in 31 games, Everton made the move to sign him on a permanent basis for £28 million.
Playing Around Europe
Lukaku’s career continued to rise, becoming the fifth player after Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo to score at least 50 Premier League goals under the age of 23. Such were his performances for the Merseyside club that it was clear that he wasn’t going to stay there for long, moving on to a bigger club after becoming the first player to score 25 goals since Bob Latchford and the first player since Everton legend Dixie Dean to score in nine consecutive home games. On the tenth of July 2017, Lukaku signed a five-year deal with Manchester United for a reported fee of £75 million with £15 million in add-ons.
#MUFC is delighted to announce a fee has been agreed with Everton for the transfer of Romelu Lukaku, subject to a medical & personal terms. pic.twitter.com/O7oQJWzYHo
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 8, 2017
He lasted for two seasons at Old Trafford, in spite of scoring numerous times in big games. When José Mourinho was sacked and replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the striker was left out of the match day squad altogether. The writing was on the wall and on the 8th of August 2019 he signed a five-year deal to play for Inter Milan for a club record fee of €80 million. As he had done repeatedly elsewhere in his career, the Belgian scored regularly for the Italian club, helping them to win the Serie A title in the 2020-2021 season. He did so whilst scoring 24 times and getting 11 assists, making him the league’s second top-scorer.
Returning to Chelsea
Having longed to play for Chelsea when he was younger, Romelu Lukaku returned to Stamford Bridge on the 12th of August 2021 when the Blues played a club record fee of £97.5 million for his services. It meant that he became the most expensive player of all time, with cumulative transfer fees believed to have been worth around £285 million, which saw him surpass Neymar. He later admitted that he had spoken to Inter manager Simone Inzaghi and said, “Please find an agreement” in order to let him leave the club for London. His second debut goal came on the 22nd of August when he netted in a 2-0 away win over Arsenal.
On the 12th of September, Lukaku scored a brace against Aston Villa, marking the first time that he had scored at Stamford Bridge. Such was his form that he was included in the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or, eventually coming 12th. In what was seemingly something of a pattern for the Belgian, he created controversy towards the end of December when he spoke to Sky Italia and said that he was ‘not happy’ at Chelsea, criticising the manager, Thomas Tuchel, and the tactics that he employed. He said that he hoped to play for Inter Milan again in the future, resulting in him being dropped by Tuchel and fined by the club.
Leaving Chelsea Again
On the 29th of June 2022, it was confirmed by Chelsea that the player would be returning to Inter Milan on a season-long loan, with the Italians paying a loan fee of around £6.9 million, whilst the player had agreed to take a pay cut. In the first months of the season he suffered numerous injuries, eventually starting in a 1-0 win over Napoli that saw them suffer their first defeat of the season. Two weeks later the club won the Supercoppa Italiana, then in the February he scored the only goal as the Italians progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals. They would eventually make the final, only to lose 1-0 to Manchester City.
Having under-performed for Inter in the Champions League final, missing several big chances, he was eventually sent on loan from Chelsea to Roma for the season. He also signed a new contract with the London club, taking a pay cut and seeing a £37 million release clause included in it. He played 32 league games for the Italians, scoring 13 times, but it wasn’t enough to persuade them to buy him from Chelsea. Instead it was fellow Italian side Napoli that took the plunge, reportedly paying €30 million for his signature from the Stamford Bridge side on the 29th of August 2024, scoring an equaliser in a 2-1 win on his debut for the club.