Romelu Lukaku
From TheChels.info - The Chelsea Football Club Wiki
| Romelu Lukaku | |
| |
| Full Name | Romelu Menama Lukaku |
| Date of Birth | 13 May 1993 |
| Place of Birth | Antwerp, Belgium |
| Position | Striker |
| Chelsea career | 2011 – 2014 2021 – 2024 |
| Debut | 27 August 2011 |
| Games (goals) | 59 (15) |
| Other clubs | Anderlecht West Brom (loan) Everton Manchester United Inter Milan Roma (loan) Napoli |
Romelu Menama Lukaku (born 13 May 1993 in Antwerp, Belgium) is a Belgian international striker who played for Chelsea from 2011 until 2014. In 2021 he rejoined the club, spending the 2021-22 season at Stamford Bridge. Due to disappointing season, he was loaned for two seasons - first to Inter Milan, then to Roma. The Belgian left Chelsea permanently in 2024, coming back to Serie A and signing for Napoli.
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Before Chelsea
The son of former Zaire international Roger, Lukaku made his debut for Anderlecht at the age of 16. He went on to score 41 goals in 98 appearances for the club, helping them to the league title in 2010. The young striker's impact led to attention from clubs across Europe, and Chelsea were consistently linked with the teenager, with Lukaku making no secret of the fact that he was a fan of the west London club. The youngster was filmed on a school trip to London for a fly-on-the-wall documentary entitled De school van Lukaku, and the party visited Stamford Bridge. [1] Wearing a Chelsea shirt bearing Didier Drogba's name and number, Lukaku spoke on camera of his desire to play for Chelsea and his love for the club.[2]
On 6 August 2011, Chelsea confirmed that a deal had been agreed with Anderlecht for the young striker, pending a medical and the agreement of personal terms. The transfer was confirmed on 18 August, with Lukaku stating that the move was a "dream come true". The Belgian revealed that he had been following Chelsea from afar since as early as 2000, specifically mentioning a Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink strike against Manchester United at Old Trafford as the moment that he decided to support Chelsea. [3]
First Chelsea spell
Lukaku made his debut on 27 August 2011, coming on as a subsitute for Fernando Torres in the second half of a 3-1 win against Norwich City. He made his first start for the club in a League Cup tie against Fulham, playing the full 120 minutes as the game went to extra time before the Blues prevailed on penalties. He also started in the next two rounds of the competition, but thereafter his only involvement with the first team prior to the final league game of the season was as a late or unused substitute, though he did appear for the Reserves on several occasions, scoring 7 goals in 9 appearances.
Prior to the 2012-13 season Lukaku joined West Bromwich Albion on a season-long loan, where he would play under former Chelsea player and coach Steve Clarke. [4] Upon the deal being agreed he spoke of his frustration with his first season in west London, having not featured as regularly as he'd hoped. [5] His season at West Brom was a success; a solid first half of the season was followed by a prolific second, the young Belgian scoring 17 goals, all in the Premier League.
Lukaku began the 2013-14 season as part of the Chelsea squad, appearing in three matches as a substitute in August, including the 2014 UEFA Super Cup. A substitute in extra time, he missed the crucial fifth spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out. He subsequently joined Everton on loan on the final day of the summer transfer window. He quickly made an impact at Goodison Park, scoring eight times in fourteen league games by the midway point of the campaign. He finished the season with 16 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions.
On 30 July 2014 Lukaku joined Everton in a permanent move, the Merseyside club agreeing a deal worth a reported £28m for the young forward. [6] A fee in that region represented a considerable profit on the amount that Chelsea had paid for him as an 18-year-old, which is likely to have remained £11m given that add-ons taking it to a potential £18m are unlikely to have been activated. [7]
Second Chelsea spell
Lukaku made a dramatic return to Stamford Bridge with high expectations, scoring on his second debut against Arsenal. He started brightly but quickly lost form amid injuries and tactical misalignment under Thomas Tuchel. A controversial interview with Italian media, in which he expressed dissatisfaction and hinted at a desire to return to Inter, soured his relationship with fans and the club. He ended the season as Chelsea’s top scorer with 15 goals in 44 appearances, including 8 in the Premier League, but his influence was below expectations given his price tag.
Following a disappointing first season back, Lukaku was loaned back to Inter Milan. His Chelsea career was effectively paused, and he was not included in the club’s plans going forward. He scored 14 goals during his return season in Italy.
Lukaku was again loaned out, this time to AS Roma, reuniting with José Mourinho. He enjoyed a productive season, scoring regularly in Serie A and Europe, but remained absent from Chelsea’s project.
International
Having represented Belgium's Under-21 side on five occasions, and scoring twice, Lukaku was soon promoted to the senior side. He scored his first international goals in a friendly against Russia in November 2010. By the time he left Chelsea in 2014 he had made 31 appearances for his country, scoring seven goals, including an extra time strike against the USA in the 2014 FIFA World Cup that helped Belgium through to the quarter finals, where they would exit the competition.
Statistics
Reserve team football
| Season | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | |
| 2011-12 | 9 | 7 |
First team football
| Season | Prem | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 2011-12 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 2012-13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013-14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 26 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 44 | 15 |
| Total | 36 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 59 | 15 |
- Correct as of the end of the 2021-22 season"
Goals
| # | Season | Date | Year | Competition | Opponent | Score | Result | Venue |
| 1 | 2021-22 | 22 August | 2021 | Premier League | Arsenal | 1-0 | 2-0 | Emirates |
| 2 | 2021-22 | 11 September | 2021 | Premier League | Aston Villa | 1-0 | 3-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 3 | 2021-22 | 11 September | 2021 | Premier League | Aston Villa | 3-0 | 3-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 4 | 2021-22 | 14 September | 2021 | UEFA Champions league | Zenit St Petersburg | 1-0 | 1-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 5 | 2021-22 | 08 December | 2021 | UEFA Champions league | Zenit St Petersburg | 2-2 | 3-3 | Krestovsky Stadium |
| 6 | 2021-22 | 26 December | 2021 | Premier League | Aston Villa | 2-1 | 3-1 | Villa Park |
| 7 | 2021-22 | 29 December | 2021 | Premier League | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1-0 | 1-1 | Stamford Bridge |
| 8 | 2021-22 | 08 January | 2022 | FA Cup | Chesterfield | 3-0 | 5-1 | Stamford Bridge |
| 9 | 2021-22 | 09 February | 2022 | FIFA Club World Cup | Al Hilal | 1-0 | 1-0 | Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi |
| 10 | 2021-22 | 12 February | 2022 | FIFA Club World Cup | Palmeiras | 1-0 | 2-1 | Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi |
| 11 | 2021-22 | 02 March | 2022 | FA Cup | Luton Town | 3-2 | 3-2 | Kenilworth Road |
| 12 | 2021-22 | 19 March | 2022 | FA Cup | Middlesbrough | 1-0 | 2-0 | Riverside |
| 13 | 2021-22 | 07 May | 2022 | Premier League | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1-0 | 2-2 | Stamford Bridge |
| 14 | 2021-22 | 07 May | 2022 | Premier League | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2-0 | 2-2 | Stamford Bridge |
| 15 | 2021-22 | 11 May | 2022 | Premier League | Leeds United | 3-0 | 3-0 | Elland Road |
Honours
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2021
