Romelu Lukaku knew Inter would become Serie A champions when they beat Atalanta at San Siro, the striker has revealed.
Inter won the club’s first league title since 2010 this season, ending a decade-long drought for a major trophy and interrupting Juventus’ nine-year reign at the top.
The Nerazzurri won several big matches during the second half of the season, but Lukaku thinks the victory over Gian Piero Gasperini’s side (on March 8) was the most important of all.
“After that win I said to myself: ‘OK, it’s finished’,” the Belgian told Italian broadcaster DAZN.
“I couldn’t say it but I thought it immediately.”
Inter went top of Serie A with a 3-1 win over Lazio on Valentine’s Day, and the next weekend they extended their lead over AC Milan by beating them in the Derby della Madonnina.
Lukaku had no doubt the Nerazzurri would win the derby in February, revealing an anecdote involving his strike partner Lautaro Martinez.
“We trained at an unbelievable level in the week leading up to the derby,” Lukaku recalled.
“I said to Lautaro: ‘We’ll never lose this game, it’s impossible’.
“We’ve won a lot more big matches compared to last season, we’ve proven we’re a stronger team.”
Inter’s season seemed to change when they went away to Sassuolo in late November, as Antonio Conte altered his system and solidified the team’s defence.
“That was the match where we started our march towards the scudetto,” Lukaku argued.
“We changed our way of playing and started being more compact.
“Lauti and Alexis Sanchez were playing and I was on the bench, but I knew immediately that the team was united.”
Lukaku also had words of praise for Lautaro, Achraf Hakimi and Nicolo Barella, all of whom have been pivotal to Inter’s title triumph.
“When I saw Lautaro Martinez for the first time he was with his father,” Lukaku added.
“I said to him: ‘Within two years, me and your son will win something together’.
“We’re working together for the team; if I realise during the game that he’s on form, I’ll step aside and look to serve him.
“Hakimi has integrated very well now, he’s become very important, while Barella is the voice of our team.
“Every team needs players who are ready to go to war and we have a lot of players like that.”