Inter striker Romelu Lukaku has revealed that his tears upon lifting the Serie A title today were in memory of his late grandfather and a promise he made to him.
The Belgian international netted the final goal of the Nerazzurri’s 5-1 win over Udinese at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza as Inter concluded their campaign in style, having sealed a first league title since 2010.
In an interview with Italian television broadcaster DAZN after the match, Lukaku explained why he had been emotional during the trophy ceremony.
“Today I didn’t want to cry to be honest. The image is of my grandparents, I thought of them. When my grandfather passed away in 2005 I promised him that I would win something, and I did. I’m proud of it,” the 28-year-old declared.
“I really thought how good this year has been. We worked hard to win this Scudetto, last year we came really close. We made a big step forward this season, I’m proud to wear these colours.”
Inter have enjoyed a dominant domestic season upon winning the title and Lukaku insisted that the Nerazzurri were targeting sustained success over the coming years.
“I really hope we can start a cycle. Now I head to the European Championships, then we’ll have to be even stronger this year, we have to keep growing.”
Lukaku scored his 24th league goal of the season against Udinese but it was perhaps his easiest, as the ball rebounded against him and into an empty net from close range.
“Quality and luck were the basis of this goal. We still played a great game today, I’m really happy for everything,” the striker concluded.
Lukaku joined Inter from Manchester United in 2019 and has scored 64 goals in 94 appearances for the club in all competitions.