Romelu Lukaku Bolingoli (born 13 May 1993) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Inter Milan, on loan from Premier League club Chelsea, and the Belgium national team.
Lukaku began his senior club career playing for Anderlecht, where he won a Belgian Pro League title and finished as the league's top goalscorer. In 2011, he joined Chelsea in a transfer worth £10 million (€12 million), but limited playing time resulted in loans to West Bromwich Albion and Everton; in 2014, Lukaku signed with Everton in a then club-record transfer worth £28 million (€32 million), going on to finish as the league's second-top goalscorer. He subsequently signed with Manchester United in a transfer worth £75 million (€88 million), but after a breakdown in relations with the club, Lukaku departed for Inter Milan in 2019 in a club-record deal worth €80 million (£68.1 million), and won a Serie A title and Serie A Most Valuable Player.
In 2021, Lukaku returned to Chelsea in a club-record transfer worth £97.5 million (€115 million), becoming the seventh-most expensive player, the most expensive Belgian player, and the most expensive player with reference to cumulative transfer fees.
Belgium's all-time top goalscorer, Lukaku made his senior international debut in 2010, and has represented his country at four major tournaments: the 2016 and 2020 UEFA European Championships and the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups; he finished as joint second-highest goalscorer to win the Bronze Boot in the latter.
Lukaku is a left-footed player, who in 2014 was named by The Guardian as one of the ten most promising young players in Europe. A large and physically powerful striker from an early age, with an eye for goal, Lukaku has been known to use his physicality to get around defenders. However, despite his size, strength, physical build, and ability to hold-up play with his back to goal, his favoured role is not as a target-man in the centre, but as an out-and-out striker or poacher; due to his tactical versatility, he is also capable of playing as a winger. A well-rounded forward, who is also strong in the air, beyond his physical qualities and goalscoring ability, he possesses pace, athleticism, awareness, good link-up play, technical attributes, and vision, as well as an ability to get into good attacking positions or create space for teammates with his intelligent runs off the ball. Although he was once criticised by pundits for his limited defensive contribution, he has since been praised by his managers for his work-rate off the ball. However, despite his ability, he has also come into criticism in the media at times over his movement and first touch.<\/P>","76E5DE99890AB189":"191cm","95081CC600C137A3ECD07E1A2BAC6047":"90","289C5F85E5EE1B609E88960AAED5C65D":"1993-5-13","DAF09C52CF6076BDF21F9C2EFDD9E43065C5B3AC13FF9DA2":"1","E40B4988E6F21D3C":"87469","B628C0FB460378A51A233D645651DF2F":"
CLUB
<\/U><\/STRONG>Anderlecht<\/STRONG>
Belgian Pro League: 2009–10
Inter Milan<\/STRONG>
Serie A: 2020–21
UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2019–20
Chelsea<\/STRONG>
FIFA Club World Cup: 2021
FA Cup runner-up: 2021–22
EFL Cup runner-up: 2021–22
INTERNATIONAL<\/U><\/STRONG>
Belgium<\/STRONG>
FIFA World Cup third place: 2018
INDIVIDUAL
<\/U><\/STRONG>Best Belgian Footballer abroad:
<\/STRONG>2020
IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer:<\/STRONG>
2020
Belgian Sportsman Promising Talent of the Year:
<\/STRONG>2009
Belgian Bronze Shoe:<\/STRONG>
2009
Belgian Pro League top scorer:
<\/STRONG>2009–10
Belgian Silver Shoe:
<\/STRONG>2010
Belgian Ebony Shoe<\/STRONG>:
2011
UEFA Europa League top scorer:
<\/STRONG>2014–15
Everton Young Player of the Season:<\/STRONG>
2015–16
Everton Goal of the Season:<\/STRONG>
2015–16
Premier League Player of the Month:
<\/STRONG>March 2017
PFA Team of the Year:
<\/STRONG>2016–17 Premier League
Everton Player of the Season:
<\/STRONG>2016–17
Everton Players' Player of the Season:
<\/STRONG>2016–17
PFA Fans' Player of the Month:<\/STRONG>
August\/September 2017
Serie A MVP of the Month:<\/STRONG>
February 2021
Italian Football Hall of Fame (Davide Astori Fair Play Award):<\/STRONG>
2019
Premio internazionale Giacinto Facchetti:<\/STRONG>
2020
UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season:
<\/STRONG> 2019–20
UEFA Europa League Player of the Season:
<\/STRONG>2019–20
Belgium's national record goalscorer:<\/STRONG>
2017 (31st goal)
Belgium's national record goalscorer in 1 year:<\/STRONG>
2018 (14 goals)
FIFA FIFPro World11 3rd team:<\/STRONG>
2018
FIFPro World11 4th team:<\/STRONG>
2017
FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot:
<\/STRONG>2018
UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament:
<\/STRONG>2020
UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season:
<\/STRONG>2019–20
UEFA Europa League Player of the Season:
<\/STRONG>2019–20
Serie A Player of the Month:
<\/STRONG>February 2021
Serie A Most Valuable Player:
<\/STRONG>2020–21
UEFA Nations League top scorer:
<\/STRONG>2020–21
Best Belgian Abroad:
<\/STRONG>2020, 2021
Serie A Team of the Year:
<\/STRONG>2020–21
Serie A Footballer of the Year:
<\/STRONG>2021
Ballon d'Or nomination:
<\/STRONG>2021<\/P>","DAF09C52CF6076BD5E585110E27D1A5D":"35000000.00","1E9A8D352C52FB60DE0D25B327F8FD01":"2023-8-30","C9B224F2C5B356EF":"AS Roma[on loan]","F9622CC2808B37CB":"94kg","FD1933E1882D5E7A216F21827D2B22B4":"","e_index":7};