Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku made a return to his former club, Chelsea FC on 12th August, 2021. He had previously been a part of the English club back in 2011-14, on occasion being loaned to clubs West Bromwich Albion and Everton.
Ten days after his return to Stamford Bridge, he marked his return debut as memorable when he netted the ball in the 15th minute in an away game against Arsenal, with the final score being 2-0, as The Blues emerged victorious.
Born on 13th May, 1993 to Congolese parents, Roger Lukaku and Adolphine Bolingoli Lukaku, Romelu has had a prolific and note-worthy journey in football, all the while being known for his stately physicality that helps him surmount opponent defenders. From being a revered member of the Belgian national football squad to being a significant player at the club level, the 28-year-old is no stranger to setting impressive records from a very young age.
Here are few facts about the Chelsea returnee – his life, career, accomplishments and much more.
1. A Family of Footballers
It’s no wonder that Lukaku has a good and reliable touch over the ball on the pitch. The star footballer himself comes from a family of established footballers.
His father Roger Lukaku, played as a forward in the Zaire national football team. He made appearances in the 1994 FIFA World Cup as well as the 1994 and 1996 African Cup of Nations.
Younger brother Jordan Lukaku operates at a left-back at a Serie A club Lazio. The 27-year-old had also been part of the Belgian national team at the UEFA Euro 2016.
Romelu also has a cousin by the name of Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo who is a positioned as a defender at the Scottish club Celtic.
2. A Difficult Childhood
On the website Players Tribune, Lukaku revealed a part of his childhood when he decided that he was going to change his and his family’s life by becoming a footballer and playing for, Belgian football side, R.S.C Anderlecht.
Lukaku recalls that at the age of six, he saw his mother diluting milk with water as they were leading a poor life and there wasn’t anything to eat other than bread or milk.
That’s when Romelu, fondly called ‘Rom’ by his family, decided that at the age of sixteen he would become a pro footballer, thus turning things around for the better.
3. An Intimidating Stature
Growing up, Lukaku happened to be taller than the kids he played against. This made the parents of his opponents doubt his age and once even demand to be shown be proof of the year of his birth.
This naturally didn’t sit well with Lukaku and lead him to become fiercer on the pitch and ambitious in his football journey. He confessed that he wanted to be the best footballer in Belgian history and in doing so he ‘played with anger’ on the pitch, as the situation at home was constantly playing in his head.
4. A Wide Range of Nicknames
Throughout his years in football, Lukaku has earned various nicknames from his teammates, managers and also his fans. His sizeable build and stature are the basis of many handles, one being ‘The Tank’, due to his huge and formidable frame.
At the Belgian national team, assistant coach and former Manchester United player and legend, Theirry Henry dubbed him a ‘Lawyer’ during a press conference in 2017. He stated that, like all the Red Devils, Lukaku had a great interest in learning. Therefore, he would call the forward a ‘Lawyer’ as he discussed everything relating to the sport, right up to the minutest detail.
Back at Manchester United, due to his determination, hard work and high work-rate, Lukaku was given the nickname, ‘Rocky’, after the fictional character portrayed by Sylvester Stallone in the boxing movie franchise.
His current Chelsea teammate, Antonio Rudiger was in full praise of him even before he had officially joined the English club. During a pre-match press conference in August, when asked about Lukaku, Rudiger dubbed him a ‘Beast’ due to his body type. The Blues defender went on to say that Lukaku was a goal-scorer and personally saw him as a ‘top striker’.
5. A Television Channel centered around him
A Belgian television program by the name of De School Van Lukaku (Lukaku’s School) was telecast on Dutch-speaking network One (Eén).
The documentary series emphasized upon the lives of students at Sint-Guido-Institute in Anderlecht as they speak about various subjects, from friendship and their respective futures to safety and crime.
A part of the series revolves around Lukaku himself, about his home and family situation and how he copes up with his professional football status.
The reality docu-series has 10 episodes in all and premiered from 30th August 2010 to 1st November, 2010.
In the series, as the school went for a field trip around London and visited Chelsea’s home ground Stamford Bridge, Lukaku is heard saying, “What a stadium. If one day in my life I will cry, it will be the day I play here. I love Chelsea.”
6. A Good Taste in Football Idols
Romelu Lukaku has recognized Ivorian footballer Didier Drogba as his football idol and additionally looks up to French footballer Nicolas Anelka and Brazilian legend Ronaldo.
Sharing the pitch with Ivorian sensation at Chelsea in 2011-12, Lukaku has kept in touch with him, talking to him every few days and constantly communicating with him.
He revealed that while making his comeback to Chelsea, he asked a lot of questions to Drogba as he still knew people at Stamford Bridge and that the latter ‘prepared him well with the last details’.
On his admiration towards Ronaldo, Lukaku told ESPN that he still looks up videos of Ronaldo on YouTube. He is of the opinion that Ronaldo changed football. Enamored by the Brazilian’s style of play and antics on the pitch, Lukaku said that Ronaldo was the one everyone would look at. His step-overs and the way he outwitted the opponent defenders and scored the goals at crucial times, Lukaku gives him a score of 11 out of 10, which clearly encompasses what Lukaku feels about O Fenomeno.
During the interview, when Lukaku was told that, there appeared to be some common characteristics between him and his idol, he was quick to dismiss it by saying, “Be like Ronaldo? Ooph. There is only one Ronaldo”.
On Lukaku’s idol list is Brazilian footballer Adriano too. He said that he had a good relationship with the people from Brazil and that he really liked Brazilian players.
Growing up, Adriano was his idol as he figured that the ‘Emperor’ had the same qualities as himself such as being strong and left-footed.
7. A Collection of Individual Awards and Records
Being a football of his huge frame and physique, the jersey number 9 has plentiful individual awards which prove that he has made a big name in football for himself.
In 2009, he was awarded the Belgian Sportsman Promising Talent of the Year award and the Belgian Bronze Shoe, which was followed by the Belgian Silver Shoe in 2010.
He won the Everton Young Player of the Season in 2015-16 along with the Everton Goal of the Season. For 2016-17 season, he won the Everton Player of the Season award.
In the 2018 FIFA World Cup Tournament, he was awarded the FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot in recognition for his splendid performance for the Belgian national team.
In the UEFA Europa League in 2015, he became the top scorer of the tournament along with Alan from Brazil who currently plays for the Chinese national team, with each of them scoring 8 goals in the tournament.
In 2019-20, while at Italian club Inter Milan, he was given the title of UEFA Europa League Player of the Season.
In 2020-21, he became the most valuable player in the Serie A League.
Also, during his time at Everton, he became the 12th quickest and the fifth-youngest player to score 100 Premier League goals. At the moment, he sits 20th on the Premier League all-time leading goalscoring charts.
8. A Multi-Linguist
Though his club career has mainly shifted him from Belgium to England, England to Italy and then back to England again, Lukaku has surely not shied away from breaking down his communication barriers.
The Belgian reportedly knows a wide range of global languages. Other than his native languages which are Dutch and French, he has fluency in English, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and a Congolese Swahili dialect. He can also understand German.
9. A Number of Endorsements
Lukaku has endorsed a number of sportwear products, including Nike and Adidas, the latter being his go-to selection of footwear on pitch. He is in a sponsorship deal with Adidas which is worth around 1.5 million dollars per year.
A contract deal also has been signed with Jay-Z’s company, Roc Nation Sports.
A sponsorship deal of 83,000 dollars has been signed with Italian vehicle manufacturer, Maserati after the Belgian joined Serie A club Inter Milan in 2019.
Recently, after winning the Serie A title for Inter Milan after 11 years, he has gotten into an endorsement deal with wellness technology company, Therabody, previously known as Theragun.
In an Instagram post, he announced this occasion by mentioning that he has been using Therabody’s products for 3 years and will now serve as an ambassador for the company.
He is joined by Manchester United superstar and former teammate Marcus Rashford as an endorser and investor in the company.
10. Net Worth and Salary
As per reports, Chelsea paid a total of £98million for the center-forward as he made a move to the English club from the Italian side Inter Milan.
His earnings are said to be in the range of £325,000 and £450,00-per-week, taking image rights and bonuses into account. It is said that these great figures surpass the salary of Frenchman N’Golo Kanté by £160,000-per-week, who earns around £290,000-per-week.
The Belgian became the highest-paid player in the squad according to reports and currently has a staggering net worth of 45 million dollars.
11. An Impressive Collection of Automobiles
The Belgian appears to be a massive petrol-head given his fine collection of cars.
Some of the cars he owns are the Lamborghini Countach which is worth $187,000. Other automobiles found in his garage are the Maserati Levante, the Mercedes Benz S Class Coupe and the Mercedes AMG GTR Coupe.
12. A Number of Grand Houses
Including the mansion at Beverly Hills, which is worth $30 million, Lukaku has a total of three houses.
He also has a house in Manchester, where he has done a house tour with Bleacher Report. He also has a residence in his home country Belgium, in Antwerp, which is around $1.4 million.
13. Is Rumoured to be Dating Sarah Mens
Romelu Lukaku and 28-year-old Sarah Mens are reportedly in a relationship.
Sarah Mens is of Dutch origin as she is born and brought up in the Netherlands. She is a successful businesswoman and is engaged in interior design.
She is also rumoured to be the mother of Romelu Lukaku’s young son, Romeo Emmanuel.
