Romelu Lukaku

Early career

Lukaku joined his local team Rupel Boom at age five. After four seasons at Rupel Boom, Lukaku was discovered by scouts of Lierse, a Belgian Pro League club with an established youth academy. He played for Lierse from 2004 until 2006, scoring 121 goals in 68 matches. After Lierse were relegated from the Belgian Pro League, Anderlecht purchased 13 youth players from Lierse in the 2006 mid-season, including Lukaku. He played three more years as a youth player with Anderlecht, scoring 131 goals in 93 matches.

Anderlecht

When Lukaku turned 16 on 13 May 2009, he signed a professional contract with Anderlecht lasting until 2012. Eleven days later, he made his Belgian First Division debut on 24 May 2009 in the championship play-off match against Standard Liège as a 69th-minute substitute for defender Víctor Bernárdez. Anderlecht lost the match 1–0. Lukaku became a regular member of Anderlecht's first team during the 2009–10 season, scoring his first goal at senior level against Zulte Waregem in the 89th minute after coming on as substitute for Kanu on 28 August 2009. "After scoring I dived into a sea of happiness", he told Berend Scholten from UEFA.com. "You think you are flying and can take on the whole world". He ended the season as the top goalscorer in the Pro League with 15 goals as Anderlecht won its 30th Belgian title. He also scored four goals during the club's run to the last 16 of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League. During the 2010–11 season,…

2008–2017: Youth level and early international career

Lukaku was a member of the Belgium under-21 team and scored a goal on his debut against Slovenia. On 24 February 2010, Lukaku was named for the first time in the Belgium senior squad for a friendly against Croatia. On 17 November 2010, he scored his first two international goals in a friendly against Russia. Lukaku scored his first goal in almost two years for the national team, netting the winner in a 4–2 friendly victory over rivals the Netherlands on 15 August 2012. On 11 October 2013, Lukaku scored two goals as Belgium defeated Croatia 2–1 to secure a place in the World Cup finals. In May 2014, Lukaku was named in Belgium's squad for the 2014 World Cup. On 26 May, he scored his first international hat-trick in a pre-tournament friendly against neighbouring Luxembourg. However, as Belgium made seven substitutions during this match instead of the permitted six, it was not initially recognised as an official match by FIFA. On 1 June, he scored first of Belgium's two goals in the 2–0 victory in a friendly against Sweden. In Belgium's first match of the tournament, a 2–1 win against Algeria in Belo Horizonte, Lukaku started and played 58 minutes, before being replaced by Divock Origi. In the round of 16, Lukaku came on as a substitute prior to extra time, and assisted Kevin De Bruyne's opening goal three minutes later. In the 105th minute, he scored his first goal of the tournament, as Belgium defeated the United…

Club

As of match played 30 August 2026

International

As of match played 10 July 2026

Lukaku was born in Antwerp, Belgium to Congolese parents. His father, Roger Lukaku, played professional football and was capped at international level by Zaire. He has a younger brother named Jordan, who has progressed through the youth academy at Anderlecht. His cousin Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo plays as a left-sided winger or defender for Standard Liège. Lukaku was the subject of a television documentary series called De School Van Lukaku (lit. 'The School of Lukaku') shown on the Dutch-language Eén network. The reality show followed the teenage Lukaku and his classmates during the course of a year at the Saint-Guidon Institute, a school in Brussels, where the footballer was based while with the Anderlecht youth team. In 2009, the series followed the school as it made a field trip to London, visiting Stamford Bridge. Lukaku said at the time: "What a stadium. If one day in my life I will cry, it will be the day I play here. I love Chelsea." Lukaku has stated his biggest idol was Didier Drogba. Lukaku is a practising Catholic, praying frequently before and after matches. He made the pilgrimage to Lourdes in 2014. He is a teetotaller. Lukaku is a polyglot and is able to speak eight languages: Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Lingala.

Media and endorsements

Lukaku was the first Premier League player to join Jay-Z's management agency Roc Nation Sports. In June 2018, he signed a record sponsorship deal with German sportswear company Puma, the…