Romelu Lukaku is a leader as well as a goal-scorer for Inter, a leading Italian broadcaster argued today.
Lukaku grabbed his 299th and 300th career goals during Sunday’s 3-1 win over Lazio, making him the third fastest player to achieve that feat (in terms of the number of games needed) after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Sky Sport Italia broke down the Belgian’s statistics, highlighting he has scored 56 of his 300 goals for Inter, with the biggest portion coming for Everton with 87.
However, they also argued Lukaku was just as important to Antonio Conte’s side for his leadership qualities.
Lukaku carries his teammates emotionally and is always available to help in some way on the pitch, they explained, making him a point of reference for Inter’s players, as well as a reliable source of assists.
The 27-year-old is now tied with Cristiano Ronaldo on 16 goals at the top of Serie A’s scoring charts this season, albeit the Juventus forward has needed two fewer appearances to reach that tally.
Inter and Everton aside, the rest of Lukaku’s goals have been split into 57 for the Belgian national team, 42 for Manchester United, 41 for Anderlecht and 17 for West Bromwich Albion.
Lukaku spoke to the Italian Football Federation yesterday as part of their investigation into the forward’s row with Zlatan Ibrahimovic during last month’s Milan derby.
Reports in Tuesday’s papers suggested both players were likely to escape with a fine or a small ban in the Coppa Italia, albeit a verdict might not be delivered until March.
Lukaku’s goals against Lazio reportedly triggered a €1 million bonus payment from Inter to his former club Manchester United this week.
