Biography
Early Life
Romelu Menama Lukaku Bolingoli was born on May 13, 1993 in Antwerp, Belgium to Congolese parents. He grew up in poverty — his father Roger was a former professional footballer whose career ended early. As a child, Lukaku's family sometimes couldn't afford milk. He has used this as motivation throughout his career.
Breakthrough
Anderlecht gave Lukaku his debut at 16 and Chelsea paid £18M when he was 18. The Stamford Bridge experience was frustrating — minimal game time — but loan spells at West Brom and Everton produced goal after goal. United paid £75M in 2017 and Inter Milan £74M in 2019. The career has always been defined by enormous fees and very high output.
Career
Belgium's all-time leading goalscorer by a wide margin. A career that has seen him succeed at multiple clubs across multiple leagues — Everton, United, Inter, Chelsea, Roma, and now Napoli. The £97.5M return to Chelsea in 2021 was disastrous. The subsequent loan to Inter and then Roma was a redemption. At Napoli he has found another home.
Personal Life
Lukaku has spoken about racism he faced from a young age in Belgium and throughout his career in Italy and England. He has been a vocal advocate for anti-racism campaigns. He is close to his family and his mother, who he credits as the main driver behind his determination to succeed.
Legacy
Over 285 career goals. Belgium's all-time record scorer. A man who came from nothing and reached everything — multiple times, at multiple clubs. The Chelsea disaster will always be part of the story, but so will the Inter Milan title and the Europa League-winning campaigns.
Stats & Finances
Career Timeline
Made his professional debut aged 16 at Anderlecht
Joined Everton permanently and became one of the Premier League's most prolific strikers
Signed by Jose Mourinho for £75M — scored 27 goals in his first season
Joined Inter for £74M and helped them win Serie A for the first time in 11 years
Controversial return to Chelsea for £97.5M — a troubled spell that ended in loan departures
Joined Napoli permanently after his spell at Chelsea, finding a settled home in Serie A
Fun Facts
Lukaku's family were so poor as a child that he has spoken about not having milk in the house
He is Belgium's all-time record goalscorer by more than 30 goals
Lukaku has played for more Premier League clubs than almost any other player of his generation
His return to Chelsea for £97.5M is one of football's most discussed expensive failures
He has scored 20 or more goals in nine different professional seasons across five different countries
Data last verified: April 2026
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