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Old Love: Romulo Lukaku's Exciting Return to the Mythical Chelsea Ex - Walla! sport

2021-08-20T13:08:33.060Z


He slept in Didier Drogba's shirt and dreamed as a teenager of playing at Stamford Bridge, but fulfilling his ambition at the age of 18 caused disappointment and heartbreak. Now a decade later, the Belgian is reuniting with his beloved club


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The old love: Romulo Lukaku's exciting return to the mythical ex Chelsea

He slept in Didier Drogba's shirt and dreamed as a teenager of playing at Stamford Bridge, but fulfilling his ambition at the age of 18 caused disappointment and heartbreak.

Now, a decade later, the Belgian striker is reuniting with his beloved club, and the parties are hoping that the second wedding will be perfect.

On the expensive and exciting transition of summer

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  • Chelsea

  • Romulo Lukaku

Michael Yochin

Friday, August 20, 2021, 4 p.m.

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Chelsea player Romulo Lukaku (from Twitter)

When Romulo Lukaku was a teenager, he wore two blue Chelsea shirts with Didier Drogba's name on his back. In one he played, in the other he slept. His admiration for the Ivory Coast striker knew no bounds, and so did his love for the London club. The young scorer grew into the dream of playing at Stamford Bridge, and at a very early stage it became a kind of obsession. Drogba's portrait hung above his bed at his home in Brussels, and then Nicola Anelka's poster was attached to it on the extra wall. The goal was to play alongside them, and he fulfilled it. Shortly after his 18th birthday, exactly a decade ago, Roman Abramovich's team paid Anderlecht about 15 million euros for the ultimate prodigy of European football.



His self-confidence was then in heaven.

He was crowned the top scorer in the Belgian league already in his first season, the Chelsea scouts followed him for two whole years, the positive headlines accompanied him on a weekly basis, and Lukaku had no doubt that he was going to conquer the world immediately.

Ariel Jacobs, his coach at Anderlecht who greatly appreciated him and built the team around his skills, was a bit worried.

"Maybe you jump too high and too fast, and find yourself in the stands," he told his apprentice.

"It can not happen," the scorer replied without hesitation - and followed the dream.

However, that is exactly what happened, and the disappointment was severe.

Lukaku was wounded to the depths of his soul.

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Lukaku (Photo: Official website, from Chelsea's website)

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Did not feel entitled to degrees in 2012

One could, of course, see everything from a completely different angle.

Lukaku managed to share a dressing room with Drogba and Anelka in their last season with the team, and was very excited about it.

With the legendary African striker a close friendship was formed that continues to this day.

2011/12 was a crazy period for Chelsea, who did not succeed in the league, but lifted the English Cup and also sensationally galloped to a historic Champions League win, after Roberto Di Matteo replaced Andre Villas-Boas in the coaching position.



It was a crazy experience, but Lukaku did not feel he belonged.

He refused to hold the trophies when his friends offered it to him.

"These are not my awards," he explained.

In the league, he had only eight brief appearances, one of them in the lineup, in a game for the record.

He longed for much more, and refused to come to terms with the situation.

"A lot of money was wasted on me, and it seems like it was for free. I will talk to the coach and see his plans. If he does not want me, I will go on loan. I must play," the Belgian declared.

Indeed, West Bromwich gladly accepted him into its ranks.

The desire to play at Stamford Bridge was shelved in favor of professional advancement.

"These are not my awards."

Lukaku in previous term (Photo: AP, Michael Sohn)

Preferred United in 2017

Did these difficult memories make Lukaku prefer Manchester United in 2017 over returning to his beloved club? Antonio Conte was convinced he would be able to bring in the Belgian, after failing to persuade him to join Juventus in 2014. The deal was already on the verge of a conclusion, but then the Red Devils came into the picture, and everything changed. Lukaku chose to work with his good friend Paul Pogba, to trust Jose Mourinho who explained to him how critical he would be in the lineup, and also not to move house - because he had lived in Manchester for the four years he spent in Everton. These considerations were very important, of course, but the longing to go back and wear the beloved blue shirt could have been strongest of all. She was not, among other things, because inside him Lukaku did not want to return to the only place where he felt he had failed, and to the only club that did not believe in him to the end.



After all, he tore up the West Bromwich Albion nets, including a 5: 5 hat-trick against Manchester United in the final game of Alex Ferguson's career.

He was also good on loan at Everton.

Still, the Blues chose to finally sell him to the blue side of Liverpool in the summer of 2014, making a profit on him and getting £ 28 million. And despite Conte's promises, he did not want to jump into that swamp again. Got that chance.Two years later, after receiving far too many reviews despite scoring 64 goals in all competitions, he may have regretted that choice, but Chelsea were no longer relevant then anyway.

Do your best not to go back to where he felt he failed.

With Pogba in United uniform (Photo: GettyImages, Visionhaus)

Left a warm home and falling apart at Inter

Inter called him, and it was perfect. Also because Conte was there, also because the Brazilian Ronaldo was the great idol of Lukaku even before he knew about Drogba's existence, also because the collaboration with Lautro Martins turned out to be dreamy, also because the connection to the audience was fantastic from the first moment, also because the Italian mentality and the city of Milan were liked In his eyes, and also because the style in Serie A forced him to make adjustments and improve even more professionally. It ended with the first individual championship since the days of Anderlecht in 2010 - and symbolically Inter also celebrated its first Scudetto in 11 years. In the ideal world, he would have stayed there for many years, but the Narazori project collapsed. The financial future has been in doubt for about a year, the money is running out, no one was surprised when Conte chose to leave under these conditions, and Lukaku had no real challenges left. There is already a championship, success in the Champions League is almost impossible - so what can be done in San Siro?



He did not issue an ultimatum, but the Belgian let the management understand that he would not really object to being sold if Chelsea did transfer a sum that the club would be willing to accept.

Abramovich put about 115 million euros on the table, and that was all.

The Chelsea record, the Inter record, the Italian record.

In the current situation, neither party has any reason to refuse such an offer.

Along the way, in the fifth-largest transfer of his life, Lukaku became the player who was paid the most money in total.

Neymar is only in second place now.

Neither party had any reason to refuse the offer.

In Inter uniform (Photo: Reuters)

Drogba is also happy

And it may sound a bit bizarre given the amounts spilled, but this is the most romantic story of the summer. At the age of 28, Lukaku goes back in the time machine and becomes in his spirit a boy sleeping in a Drogba shirt. Not for nothing was his friend the man who was eager to announce to the world the return of the Belgian to Stamford Bridge. A decade late, he really needs to become his ultimate successor now. In 2017, he was not mentally ready for it, but past sediments are now less influential. Having established his status as a superstar at Inter, he is less afraid of a fiasco. He sees the excellent squad of the team that won the Champions League for the second time in its history, and knows that only number 9 is missing there. So he will wear that shirt, and Thomas Tuchel will give him the keys.



More than Chelsea giving a second chance to Lukaku, Lukaku gives a second chance to Chelsea.

His exaggerated expectations in 2011 caused heartbreak, but now that he is much more forged, he believes it could be his home.

The ancient dream has been revived.

Old love blossoms anew.

The mythological ex wears the ring again.

This is a second wedding - more calculated, but perhaps also more successful, because both sides come to the canopy more prepared.

"The dream has become a reality, and now I have to prove myself on the pitch," he declared.

And who knows, maybe new young strikers will fall in love with Chelsea in the coming years thanks to him.



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Source: walla

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