“After scoring I dived into a sea of happiness. You think you are flying and can take on the whole world!” These were the words spoken by a big, burly Belgian. 7 years on and that is exactly what Romelu Lukaku has gone and done after he burst onto the scene on the day he turned 16 and signed his first professional contract with Anderlecht. He would go on to become the league’s top goalscorer that season with 15 goals as Anderlecht celebrated yet another League triumph. He followed this up with 20 goals the following season and although Anderlecht failed to retain their crown, a new star was burning ever so brightly.
Romelu Lukaku was turning heads with his technical ability. He was making waves across Europe and this led Chelsea to splash out 17 million pounds on an 18-year old. He wasn’t proven, but he was promising and after spending most of his time in the reserves he turned in a man-of-the-match performance on his first Premier League start for the club. When Didier Drogba’s penalty against Bayern Munich secured a first ever Champions League for the London side, Lukaku refused to lift the trophy claiming that “he did not feel like a winner”.
He knew what he was capable of, he just needed the chance to prove it. Chelsea refused to part ways with their prized asset, yet couldn’t promise him regular football so after a loan move to West Brom materialised, he has never looked back. He scored on his debut – a 3-0 win over Liverpool, and went on to out-score all of his Chelsea team-mates with 17 league goals, including a hat-trick against Man United in the Premier League’s first ever 5-5 draw and Sir Alex Ferguson’s final game in charge. A further loan spell the following season, this time to Everton produced another debut goal – this time a winner at West Ham. He finished with 15 league goals as Everton ended the season in 5th place with a highest ever points tally. (72)
On the 5th of March 2017, Romelu Lukaku scored his 61st Premier League goal for Everton in a 3-2 defeat away at Tottenham. Duncan Ferguson scored 60 league goals for Everton – a record that stood for over 10 years but after making his move to Everton permanent in 2014, it has taken Lukaku just three and a half seasons to smash this. The 2015-16 season saw him become the first Everton player in over 20 years to score 20+ goals in back to back seasons and he sits on 18 for this season already.
It is so hard to believe that we are speaking about a player who is still only 23 years’ old! He has the world at his feet with his form leading current Everton boss Ronald Koeman to suggest that he needs to move to a bigger club in order to achieve what a player of his ability should. A players career is ultimately defined by the trophy’s they win, and clubs like Barcelona or Bayern Munich can offer Lukaku the chance to win trophy’s, but with Everton set to offer Lukaku a new 5-year-deal in the coming days, it is safe to say that Lukaku will continue to entertain the Premier League fans that adore him – for now at least.