Sports Nicknames - Big Rom

Romelu Lukaku is a Belgian striker who has had a career of scoring goals, yet his trophy haul has been somewhat disappointing. Despite this, he has played for a few of Europe's most prestigious teams, including Chelsea, Manchester United and his current team, Inter Milan.



Lukaku started at RSC Anderlecht in Belgium, staying for 3 years before signing with Chelsea in England. However, Lukaku was not to feature prominently for the Blues and was loaned out multiple times. His second loan team, Everton, was the one he eventually signed for permanently. Lukaku did well at scoring for each of these clubs, earning him a big move to Manchester United. However, his time at United was troubled after the sacking of Jose Mourinho. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer preferred Marcus Rashford as his main striker, leading Lukaku to leave Manchester for the blue and black of Inter Milan in 2019.

It has been at Inter under the supervision of Antonio Conte that Lukaku has played some of his best football. His deadly partnership with Lautaro Martinez has been dubbed "Lu-La" by Italian media. In January 2021, Lukaku broke Cristiano Ronaldo's record of scoring 50 goals in only 70 matches (Ronaldo had 50 in 77). Lukaku has also helped Belgium get 3rd place in the 2018 World Cup.

Romelu Lukaku says that his biggest inspirations were Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba and Ronaldo growing up. This can be seen in his playstyle, as he is fast, strong and a clinical finisher. There is no doubt who the most prolific Belgian striker of recent years is. Only 27 at the time of writing, Lukaku still has plenty of time to write his legacy with silverware.


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