Romelu Lukaku (Part 3)

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31 Mar 2024

Romelu Lukaku (Part 3)

Romelu Lukaku made his debut for Manchester United against Real Madrid on August 8, 2017, in the 2017 UEFA Super Cup. He scored his first competitive goal for the club in a 2–1 defeat. His Premier League debut for Manchester United came five days later at home against West Ham United, where he scored twice in a 4–0 victory. This marked him as the fourth Manchester United player to score two goals on his Premier League debut for the club.
In the UEFA Champions League, Lukaku scored his first goal for Manchester United in a 3–0 win over Basel on September 12, 2017. Just five days later, on September 17, he found the net again, scoring United's third goal in a 4–0 win over his former club, Everton. Lukaku's celebration during this match, where he cupped his ears towards the Everton fans, was in response to being booed throughout the game.

Lukaku continued his impressive goal-scoring form by netting twice in a 4–1 win over CSKA Moscow on September 27, 2017. This took his tally to ten goals in his first nine appearances for Manchester United, breaking the record set by Bobby Charlton.
In a crucial match against his former club Chelsea on February 25, 2018, Lukaku scored the equalizer and provided the assist for Jesse Lingard's game-winning goal in a 2–1 victory.
On March 13, 2018, Lukaku scored his 200th goal for club and country in a 2–1 away defeat to Sevilla, which eliminated Manchester United from the Champions League in the round of 16.
Lukaku reached another milestone on March 31, 2018, when he scored his 100th Premier League goal in his 216th game during a 2–0 home win over Swansea City. He became the fifth youngest of the 28 players to achieve this milestone.

Romelu Lukaku started strong with four goals in his first five appearances, which included a brace against Burnley. However, he then endured a 12-game goal drought from September 19 to November 27, 2018. Lukaku broke his goal drought with strikes against Southampton and Fulham.
Following the sacking of manager José Mourinho, Lukaku found himself out of favor under Mourinho's replacement, Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Solskjær omitted Lukaku from the squad entirely for his first two games in charge against Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town. Lukaku made substitute appearances in the subsequent games against Bournemouth and Newcastle United, scoring in both matches within two minutes of coming on.

Although Lukaku scored in the FA Cup third round tie against Reading, he struggled to secure a regular starting position under Solskjær, with Marcus Rashford often preferred up front. Lukaku started just five of the next nine games, playing the full 90 minutes in only two matches and failing to score in any of them.
However, Lukaku's goalscoring form returned in the following games, as he scored braces against Crystal Palace, Southampton, and Paris Saint-Germain. Notably, his goals against PSG helped Manchester United progress to the Champions League quarter-finals on the away goals rule, marking the first time any team had advanced after losing at home in the first leg by two goals or more. Despite this achievement, Manchester United were ultimately eliminated by Barcelona in the quarter-finals, losing 4–0 on aggregate.

After joining Inter Milan on August 8, 2019, Romelu Lukaku signed a five-year contract for a reported club-record fee of €80 million. He cited being made a scapegoat at Manchester United, along with other factors, for his decision to leave the club. Lukaku made an impressive debut for Inter, scoring in their opening Serie A match against Lecce, marking the fifth time he had scored in his first league game for a club.
During his first season at Inter, Lukaku formed a prolific partnership with Lautaro Martínez, earning the nickname "Lu-La" from Italian media. He showcased his goal-scoring prowess by matching Ronaldo's record of nine goals in his first eleven league appearances for the club. Lukaku also found success in the UEFA Champions League, scoring his first goal for Inter in a group stage match against Slavia Prague.

In Serie A, Lukaku continued to shine, scoring crucial goals including braces against Bologna and Napoli. His performances helped Inter secure victories over rivals such as Milan and Napoli, propelling them to the top of the league table.
Lukaku's remarkable season culminated in him scoring 23 goals in Serie A, as Inter finished runner-up to Juventus by just one point. He also excelled in the Europa League, scoring consistently to help Inter reach the final. Although Inter lost to Sevilla in the final, Lukaku's contributions were significant, and he equaled Ronaldo's record for most goals scored in a single season for Inter. In total, Lukaku scored 34 goals in all competitions for Inter during his debut season, cementing his status as one of the club's key players.

On October 21, 2020, Romelu Lukaku showcased his scoring prowess in the UEFA Champions League by netting a brace against Borussia Mönchengladbach, helping Inter Milan secure a 2–2 draw. He repeated this feat on December 1, scoring another two goals against Mönchengladbach in a crucial 3–2 away victory. Despite Lukaku's contributions, Inter Milan failed to progress from their group after drawing their last match against Shakhtar Donetsk.
In Serie A, Lukaku continued his impressive goal-scoring form. On January 3, 2021, he reached a milestone by scoring his 50th goal across all competitions for Inter Milan in just 70 matches, breaking the previous record held by Ronaldo. However, Lukaku's season was not without controversy, as he was involved in a heated confrontation with Zlatan Ibrahimović during Inter's Coppa Italia quarter-final match against Milan on January 26. Both players exchanged insults and clashed heads, leading to Ibrahimović's eventual sending off.

Despite the drama, Lukaku remained focused on the pitch, delivering standout performances for Inter. On February 14, he scored a brace and provided an assist against Lazio, bringing his Serie A goal tally to 16 for the season and equalling Cristiano Ronaldo as the league's top scorer. Inter Milan went on to win the 2020–21 Serie A title, marking their first league triumph since the 2009–10 season. Lukaku finished the season as the top scorer on the title-winning team and the second-highest scorer in the league, behind Ronaldo, with 24 league goals and eleven assists to his name.