To say Romelu Lukaku's career has ebbed and flowed would be putting it mildly. Despite underwhelming spells at Chelsea and Manchester United, Belgium’s all-time top scorer has carved out a dangerous reputation in Italy - first with Inter Milan, then Roma, and now with the 2024/25 Serie A champions, Napoli.
At 32, Lukaku is no spring chicken, but he still racked up 14 goals and 10 assists as Antonio Conte’s side marched their way to a fourth Scudetto. And if anyone thought his success in the boot-shaped country was just a fluke at first, they’d be kicking themselves now after watching his title-deciding goal against Cagliari (which you can see below).
Back in the 2018/19 season - his final one at Man United - Lukaku’s powerful frame seemed to be more of a burden than a weapon. He often looked sluggish, leading many fans to question his fitness. Gary Neville even burst out laughing during commentary when Lukaku appeared to be huffing and puffing in just the 27th minute of one match.
But as it turned out, Inter would later help him discover that there was a genuine issue behind his struggles - one that had gone unnoticed in England. And thanks to I Nerazzurri's care, Lukaku has gone on to become one of football's greatest strikers.
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How Inter Helped Lukaku Rediscover His Golascoring Touch
The Belgian had an undetected digestive problem that affected his fitness
Romelu Lukaku
In the summer of 2019, after also being ridiculed for his first touch, Romelu Lukaku sealed a £74 million move to Inter Milan, and he hasn’t looked back since. It didn’t take long before he was scoring goals for fun, looking far more energetic and, perhaps most importantly, genuinely happy.
While it was easy to pin his poor form at Man United on either the club’s own downward spiral or Lukaku’s supposed mentality issues, The Telegraph later revealed a far less obvious culprit: an undiagnosed digestive problem - one even the player himself didn’t know he had. That went a long way in explaining why he had bulked up so noticeably during his time at Old Trafford.
Once the issue was identified, Inter helped Lukaku shed half a stone in just 12 days - and the rest, as they say, is history. He lifted his first Serie A title in his second season with the club under current manager Conte and played a key role in Simone Inzaghi’s side that reached the 2022/23 Champions League final, only to fall to Manchester City.
A short loan stint from Chelsea to Roma in 2023/24 - where he netted 21 goals in 47 appearances - likely paved the way for his move to Napoli ahead of the current campaign. And it’s proven to be a masterstroke again by Conte, with Lukaku hitting his riproaring best from day dot as he goes full circle with his boss.