In a long interview with Belgian state broadcaster Rtbf, which was aired a short time ago, Inter striker Romelu Lukaku has addressed a lot of different topics relating to his career and even some on his personal life.
He started the interview by speaking about how he dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic when it first started and Italy was placed into lockdown.
“I always stayed at home, because we didn’t know what could happen. Many people have lost their family members, it was a very difficult time for the whole world. It was for me too, because you couldn’t see each other safely, you couldn’t talk.
“I was at home, using a treadmill and a bicycle. Mentally it was very hard, the most important thing for me was to get out of this period maybe learning something new.
“I read many books, I also attended the Belgian Football Association’s coaching courses for the national teams.
“However, it was an unpleasant moment, the distance between me, my mother, my son and my brothers. It was difficult, we didn’t always talk to each other, we didn’t see each other, it was different from usual.
“When we got permission from the club to leave home and see each other again, it was a great thing. However, I think that as a family we have come out stronger from this situation.”
He was then asked to reflect on his playing career as a whole, which has seen him play in Belgium, England and now Italy at club level.
“I had the ambition of becoming a professional footballer early on because my family situation was not the best and this hurt me.
“My mother used certain things that left a mark on my mind, and this made me have some determination to succeed in football, because I didn’t want these things for my mother, my brothers and my children in the future. I wanted to get to the Anderlecht first team as soon as possible.”
Next he spoke on his childhood footballing idol, former Inter striker Adriano.
“A few weeks ago I spoke live on Instagram with Adriano. When he played at Inter he was my idol, but in those days we didn’t have television at home and I went to a relative of mine in Brussels to see what he was doing on YouTube.
“For me it was a thrill to talk to him because he made me remember those moments, it was a very emotional moment.”
The 27-year-old scoring sensation was then asked if is misunderstood.
“Yes, but I don’t want to look like that. I put a lot of determination into what I do, especially in football because football can give you everything quickly and it can also take everything away quickly.
“I always told myself that there were no things I couldn’t do, I spent a lot of energy inside of me to find the will to become stronger.
“You have to do this if you want to survive in professional football, young people must understand that there is always competition. If kids want to become professionals, they must have the strength and the will to become stronger every day.
“I don’t talk much off the pitch, I say what I have to say then I go back to the field to do my work. Outside of football I just think of being a good father and a good son to my parents. I want to learn from the experiences of life.”
Next Lukaku was asked if he thinks he has reached the peak of his powers in his career.
“No, I think there is always another level to be reached. Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, is a player who aims to become stronger every year.
“Even people like Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski show that they want to get stronger every year. This is also my motivation, you always have to find certain things to become stronger. This year with Inter we finished second in the league and we lost the final of the Europa League.”
He was then asked if having better stats than last season is his goal for this season, which he has started well with three goals in as many games.
“I think it’s the collective that motivates me mainly. I think we have the team to do great things. Then, you have to try and show it on the field.
“We finished well last season, I think our defensive performances have become more solid. We have done everything possible to win every game, I think this can help us to do well this year. We will see. Is the goal to become Italian champions? That is the goal, we’ll see what happens.”
The former West Bromwich Albion player was then asked whether he feels he has the leadership that so many people see him having.
“Yes, I think I know how to join the team and make my teammates stronger by telling them positive things even when they make mistakes, encouraging them to move forward.
“Every time I play I try above all to make the group understand the pleasure of playing together. Every match is a test for us, and I always say that we must try to win every match, even if it’s not always possible. Leadership for me is motivating the team to give everything to the end, even if the match is not going well.”
Lukaku was then asked if he had to choose would he prefer to win the European Championship or the World Cup and was also asked about what excites him.
“I don’t choose, being able to win both would be ideal.
“What makes me excited? “My son, my mother and my brother. Seeing my son laughing when I wake up, or seeing him happy after I get back from training. I always try to consider my brother Jordan in my decisions.
“Do I have any dreams beyond football? No, frankly I don’t have that many. I want to wake up in the morning and be a good person, a normal guy to talk to.”
Lukaku proceeded to share how he finds living in Italy and what he makes of the city of Milan.
“I am happy to live there. There is always something to do, not just shopping even if my mum gives me a headache with it.
“People are warm and love football, more than the English. They have passion. If things go well and they see that the players give everything on the pitch, then respect is for life but if things don’t go well, you have to prepare yourself because it can be unpleasant.
“I am grateful for living a similar situation, living it is the best. I feel really good, the people are nice and I’m happy to have made this choice.”
Next he was asked whether he sees himself continuing to play in Italy for many years.
“I’m happy, I don’t deny it. The past season with Inter went very well, but in this new season people expect a lot more from me. It is up to me to bring the same work I did last year onto the field.”
Lukaku also touched upon why he wanted to learn Italian.
“When I arrived in Italy, I asked the staff to speak in Italian but they answered me in English. When I gained confidence, however, they started speaking in Italian.
“The most important thing is to be able to express oneself, if I hadn’t spoken Italian it would have been difficult to talk to my Italian teammates. I could not express myself in the right way so speaking languages and feeling at ease is important to me.”
In conclusion he was asked if he would be prepared to leave the national team to the next generation if Belgium are to win the European Championship next Summer or the World Cup in 2022.
“We will give everything for both, hoping that the new generation can arrive soon. There are players like Dimata, Vanheusden, Doku, who need to be ready to understand where they are.
“It would be good if the new generation could arrive and start fighting for the senior national team. The goal is to try to win something.”
