How this little boy became a beast of a striker
No wonder Mourinho hijacked a deal for the ‘Beast’ who scored 186 in a season and carried his passport to prove his age . . .
STROLLING down new York’s Fifth Avenue, his hands full of summer shopping, romelu lukaku took the first of several phone calls that would ultimately change his life.
‘it was Jose Mourinho,’ grins lukaku’s childhood friend Vinnie Frans. ‘it was the final week of June and we were in new York. He was on the phone saying, “Yes, boss”, “oK, boss”, so i knew it was Mourinho.’
For Manchester United, one phone call would not be enough. Mourinho’s first call was part of a dramatic hijack operation that disorientated Chelsea and led to lukaku, 24, becoming the striker entrusted to fill the goalscoring vacancy at old trafford left by Wayne rooney and Zlatan ibrahimovic.
Everybody expected lukaku to return to Stamford Bridge and the club that began scouting the Belgian when he was only 12 years old. Chelsea subsequently bought lukaku aged 18 and then Jose Mourinho sold him to Everton at the age of 21.
Yet Vinnie, who was with lukaku and Paul Pogba in los Angeles as the transfer dramatically took shape, explains that United simply wanted the player more.
‘As a child, it was all about Didier Drogba,’ Vinnie says. ‘When he scored goals on the street, it was the Drogba celebration with the arms. But he just had one call from Antonio Conte.
‘Manchester United came with three different contract offers and Chelsea did not present one. United wanted him more and that’s the reason he chose them. rom had it clear that he wanted to start pre-season properly with a new team. Chelsea kept waiting and waiting so he thought, “United have come with a good offer, Mourinho has great ideas and he was 100 per cent sure Mourinho wanted him”.
‘At first he was like, “let me wait a bit and see what other clubs are doing”. But United wouldn’t take no for an answer. After the second offer he thought, “Hmm, they really want me”. then it was a third time and it was, “Hmm . . . ” with a few “m’s”, then the fourth came and it was, “oK, i’m going to Manchester”. Pogba was talking up United but it was always going to be romelu’s own decision.’
‘in lA, Jose called him up again and said, “Have you made a decision?” He said, “Boss, i’m coming to United”.’
Back to reality and Vinnie was this week back home on a council estate in Wintam, a small village about 15 miles north of Brussels. Duiventilstraad 71 represented a humble abode for the lukaku family.
romelu lived with his younger brother Jordan, now 22, who plays for lazio, along with mother Adolphine and father roger, an ex-footballer in Belgium who grew up in Zaire, now the Democratic republic of the Congo. Speaking over the past week to former friends and mentors of lukaku, a picture emerges of a family who strived against a backdrop of poverty and inequality.
Adolphine worked as a cleaner, while roger’s career did not provide financial security for the family. At SJABi school, general director ivo Marnef recalls how the school supported lukaku.
‘His parents weren’t so rich. His dad sent money home for his family in Congo,’ Marnef says. ‘it was very difficult for them. Financially, we helped them at school. it was not easy to pay the bills. romelu kept missing the bus to school, so i gave him a bike to cycle to school. i gave the dad a job as a trainer at a youth club — a tiny wage.’
At his local youth clubs, lukaku made an instant impression. His first coach, Erwin Wosky, recalls ‘a powerhouse that was taller, stronger and more determined than everyone else’. He adds: ‘Even at the age of nine, he already had an adult size eight shoe. He would use size five balls whereas other kids used sizes three or four.’
At KFC Wintam, coach Steve De Buyser took lukaku under his wing, correcting defects in his game. ‘He had a brilliant left foot but we wanted his right to be stronger,’ De Buyser recalls. ‘So we took his left boot off him and made him play with one shoe in training. now he has two brilliant feet.
‘i remember one tournament in France. His boots were shattered and worn out. i bought him new ones and he was player of the tournament. At 16, he signed his contract with Anderlecht and the first thing he did was call me and give me complete access to Anderlecht for a year as a thank you.’
By age nine, lukaku was scoring goals at a jaw-dropping rate. in one season, including tournaments, he scored 186 goals — despite playing against boys two years older than himself.
De Buyser adds: ‘Coaches didn’t believe he was so young. He had to carry his passport everywhere to prove it. other kids saw him coming on the field and they started to literally cry. He was a beast.’
At the age of 14, lukaku joined Anderlecht. He continued to live at home and the Belgian club would organise a minibus to ferry him to and from training. He made his debut at age 16 and scored 33 goals in 73 league games before Chelsea came calling when he turned 18.
Former Chelsea sporting director Frank Arnesen explains the work that went into the signing, with Manchester United and Juventus also monitoring him. Chelsea’s background work was methodical, receiving films of Anderlecht youth games while Drogba himself made direct overtures to lukaku.
Arnesen said: ‘When he was 12 or 13 years old, my son Sebastian watched him. His attitude was everything. He was already a star at 16. He was at school in Anderlecht and the teachers told us there was no arrogance and there was no “i’m a big shot” act.
‘When i was there, we more or less had an agreement for a £2million deal about a year before Chelsea signed him. Chelsea hesitated as it was more money than they were used to paying for a young player. roman thought it was too much. i left and a year later he signed him for £10m more. But that’s the way it is sometimes.’
At Chelsea, lukaku had to bide his time, making a loan move to West Brom, where he scored 17 Premier league goals. then he joined roberto Martinez on loan at Everton.
Martinez, now Belgium coach, tells Sportsmail: ‘We knew we were taking on potential. He had only played seven full 90 minutes in the Premier league for West Brom. We had to get him playing full games. i remember one game against newcastle for us live on tV and you could see from 70 minutes he was almost out of breath.’
After 15 Premier league goals, Martinez committed £28m to his permanent signing and the judgment on potential has paid off. ‘He has never lost his key strength, he is a stunning finisher,’ Martinez says. ‘His goalscoring threat with
He had just one call from Antonio Conte . . . United wanted him more
His work-rate is amazing . . . he does not get bored in the quest for perfection
his left foot is what separates him. I had sent my chief scout Kevin Reeves at Wigan to watch him at Anderlecht.
‘His work-rate is amazing. He is determined to sharpen up what he is already outstanding at. There were times I’d have to drag him off the training ground. He would take a sack of balls and practise finishing or running with the ball and shooting. Some players don’t work at what they are already good at. He does not get bored in the quest for perfection.’
At Anderlecht, they speak with similar enthusiasm, with coach Rene Peeters explaining how Lukaku would demand extra one- on- one training to improve his first touch.
The club also ensured he followed through his education. Lukaku speaks six languages with fluency and has a high school diploma in public relations. Anderlecht press officer David Steegen recalls giving Lukaku a book of Mourinho quotes after a trip to England when he was a teenager.
When he signed professional terms for Anderlecht at 16, Lukaku was not allowed to see the figures. His dad, eager to keep his son grounded, arranged the terms and told academy head Jean Kindermans that Romelu should only see the corner of each page of the contract to sign his name.
Lukaku has not forgotten his roots and earlier this year he visited Anderlecht and addressed youth players. He sometimes returns to Wintam to visit Vinnie — albeit in his Bentley or Rolls-Royce.
His mother remains the dominant influence. Martinez recalls Adolphine visiting Everton. ‘When she was around, you would see a bigger smile on his face. She came to the training ground and you could feel his pride, to show her what he was achieving.’
His best friend Vinnie adds: ‘They are fighters. His mum would come to us and say, “Can you lend us 10 bucks?” and we would do that. A few days later, she would always return it, even when they had so little. We had a close bond as families.
‘She is delighted with the transfer. He has huge confidence in Mourinho. There are no hard feelings because Jose sold him previously.
‘If he really wanted revenge on Mourinho, he’d go to Chelsea. It’s not only the manager who sends you away, it’s the whole club. He always said to me, “Vinnie, Mourinho is one of the best coaches in the world, I really want to work with Mourinho”.
‘He tells me, “I do it for my mum and God and nobody else”. Nobody is gonna stop him.’