October 17th 2024.
Romelu Lukaku, the talented Belgian striker, is currently making waves in the Italian Serie A league while playing for Napoli. However, he has not forgotten about the criticism he faced during his time in the English Premier League. Lukaku believes that a false narrative was created about him, and that people did not truly understand his game in England.
Having played for Chelsea, Manchester United, Everton, and West Brom in the Premier League, Lukaku's time in England was a mix of highs and lows. However, his impressive record of 121 goals in 278 Premier League games cannot be ignored. Despite this, the 31-year-old feels that he was unfairly criticized by the media and fans during his stints in England. He believes that opinions were formed about him that were not accurate and went unchallenged.
During an interview with Friends of Sports, Lukaku expressed his frustration with the narrative that was created about him in England. He stated, "The narrative has always been that if someone says something about you and as a footballer, you don't react to it, everyone runs with it. And that's what happened to me." He went on to say, "I remember the narratives when I was in England was: 'He's lazy, he doesn't work hard, he's not a leader, he's selfish, first touch, he cannot hold a ball, blah blah blah.' But when I played for two years at Inter [Milan], it was: 'His back to goal, he's the best player in the world, he's top five!'"
Lukaku also reflected on his time at Chelsea, where he felt that there was too much pressure for him to live up to the expectations of being the "new Didier Drogba." He explained, "In England, they wanted to put me in a box. They see someone built like me and think he's the new Drogba, and because Didier did what he did, they think I have to do the same." However, Lukaku believes that he has a different style of play compared to Drogba and that he should be allowed to play to his strengths.
Currently, Lukaku is playing for his third Serie A club, Napoli, after stints with Inter and Roma. He has reunited with his former coach at Inter, Antonio Conte, and the duo has already found success together, with Napoli currently at the top of the Serie A table. Conte had worked with Lukaku at Inter, and they won the Serie A title together in 2021. The Italian coach had nothing but praise for Lukaku, saying, "I have always said that I wanted Romelu at Inter, and I had also requested him at Chelsea before he went to Manchester United because he is an atypical striker."
Despite the criticism he faced in England, Lukaku has proven himself to be a top-class striker and is now thriving in Italy. He hopes that his success with Napoli will finally put an end to the false narrative that was spun about him during his time in the Premier League.
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