Romelu Lukaku is rediscovering his old strength at SSC Napoli. Winning the Italian championship is also to his credit – and a greeting to his critics.
Romelu Lukaku described winning the Italian championship in three words. “I missed you,” the attacker declared in his Instagram story, kissing the Scudetto in the accompanying picture.
Lukaku has missed great sporting success in recent years. Now the 32-year-old has led SSC Napoli to the title. It was his second Italian championship after his triumph with Inter Milan in 2021 – then as now under coach Antonio Conte.
Romelu Lukaku tore his jersey off after his goal against Cagliari
Lukaku blossomed again under his former mentor. “Big Rom” contributed 14 goals – including the last to make it 2-0 in the masterpiece against Cagliari Calcio on Friday – and ten assists. In Serie A, he became the league’s top assist provider.
A premiere, because Lukaku has never had a double-digit number of assists in a league season in his career. With that, the 1.91 meter tall storm giant, for whom Chelsea paid 113 million euros four years ago, also proved all his critics wrong who had already written him off.
SSC Napoli is Lukaku’s eighth professional station. Previously in Italy, he also wore the jerseys of league rivals AS Roma and Inter Milan.
Loaned several times and often didn’t really arrive
After winning the championship with the Nerazzurri in 2021, he moved back to FC Chelsea. He wasn’t really happy in England, however, which is why Chelsea loaned him back to Inter.
In Milan, however, he fell into a slump. In particular, because of his unfortunate performance in the 0-1 defeat in the Champions League final against Manchester City in 2023, he was pilloried.
He missed great chances and stood in the way of a possible equalizer by Federico Dimarco, which is why vile insults poured down on him on social media.
In the subsequent loan to Roma, Lukaku at least rediscovered his goalscoring qualities with 21 goals this season. He also reached the Europa League semi-finals, where he then failed with his team against Bayer Leverkusen.
Inglorious VAR hat-trick at the European Championship
The next disappointment followed with Belgium at the European Championship last year. Although he scored three times, all of his goals were disallowed by VAR. In the round of 16, the “eternal secret favorite” failed without a sound against France.
Romelu Lukaku was annoyed about his third disallowed goal
Lukaku had once set himself the goal of becoming “the best player in Belgian history”, as he wrote years ago in a contribution for The Players’ Tribune.
He has at least broken some records in the “Red Devils” jersey. In the European Championship qualification, he has scored more goals than anyone else with 14 goals. With 88 goals in 122 games, he is also Belgium’s record goalscorer.
After the European Championship, the surprising move from Chelsea to Naples followed. The 2023 champion had to find a replacement for striker Victor Osimhen, who had been transferred to Galatasaray.
Lukaku woos Conte to stay
Lukaku was supposed to close this gap and Conte didn’t have to convince his former protégé for long. “The call lasted 15 seconds,” Lukaku revealed on the sidelines of the championship celebration with Naples. “When I saw his number, I immediately understood and was ready.”
In Inter’s championship season, he shone with 24 goals. Also this season, Lukaku was once again a decisive factor in Conte’s team with his goals and assists.
But the future of the successful coach is open. Italian media recently reported on an alleged return to Juventus Turin.
Lukaku has a clear opinion on this: “I have signed a three-year contract and I will do everything to keep him here. I always talk to him and I have told him that he should stay.”