Belgium national team manager has talked about the playing ability and personal character of Inter striker Romelu Lukaku.
Speaking to Goal.com, the coach praised Lukaku for both his kindness off of the pitch, and for his effectiveness as a center forward.
For Martinez, Lukaku is a more significant player than simply a prolific striker, and he praises the 28-year-old for the development of his all-round game while at Inter.
Lukaku joined the Nerazzurri in the summer of 2019 from Manchester United, and has experienced some of his best form with the club, leading Serie A for joint goals and assists last season.
The Belgian has already transferred some of that impressive club form to his national team, scoring three goals in the group stage of EURO 2020, and he will hope to put in a strong performance as the Red Devils look to knock out Italy in the quarter-final round today.
Of the 28-year-old’s development Martinez had this to say:
“We’re talking about a Romelu Lukaku that is more than a goalscorer since he moved to Inter. He arrived at the right club, at the right time, with the right coach [Antonio Conte] and has developed this incredible maturity.”
“That is not just the goalscorer that we all know,” he continued, “He is someone that can affect the game, he can affect players around him. He can really really influence what you’re going to do on the pitch.”
“He is still 28, the goalscoring records are amazing, but I think Romelu Lukaku has become a very mature footballer in the last 14 months.”
Speaking about the Nerazzurri striker’s personal qualities, Martinez reflected on the player’s decision to dedicate a goal against Russia to stricken Inter teammate Christian Eriksen after the Dane had experienced a health emergency in Denmark’s group stage opener against Finland.
“It shows you the person that Romelu is,” Martinez stated, “He is a caring person. There are values that are more important than just winning or losing and how you go about winning is the way we live life.”
“And I think it was a wonderful moment that Romelu Lukaku just said: ‘The importance of that moment was that Christian was fine.’ And we wanted to celebrate with him.”
