Romelu Lukaku slams Chelsea, revealing they compared him to Drogba and accused him of being lazy and selfish during his time at the club.
Romelu Lukaku has criticized Chelsea for restricting his playing style, likening their expectations of him to being a new Didier Drogba.
Lukaku started his career with the Blues as a promising young forward, but he transferred to Everton after it became evident that he wasn’t part of their long-term strategy. The Belgian striker made his way back to Stamford Bridge in 2019 through a high-profile multi-million-pound transfer from Inter Milan, but once again struggled to make an impact.
He was permanently transferred to Napoli during last summer’s transfer window and has begun his stint with Antonio Conte’s team on a positive note.
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Belgian international mentioned on the Friends of Sports podcast that his style of play differs from Drogba’s.
In England, they tried to categorize me. They see someone with my build and immediately think of Drogba. But I’m different from that.
Didier excelled at playing with his back to the goal, able to hold up the ball regardless of where it was played from. That wasn’t my style.
The stories circulating when I was in England painted me as lazy, not hardworking, lacking leadership skills, selfish—all sorts of criticisms like being unable to hold a ball and more.
He added, “I played two years at Inter. When it comes to playing with his back to goal, he’s the best player in the world and undoubtedly among the top 5,” (via OneFootball).
Lukaku initially joined the Blues in 2011 and was loaned out for the subsequent two seasons, spending time with West Bromwich Albion during the 2012-13 season and Everton in 2013-14. In 2014, he secured a permanent move to Everton.
In 2017, he signed a contract with Manchester United.
Although he scored 42 goals and contributed 12 assists in 96 appearances for the Old Trafford club over two seasons, he transferred to Inter Milan in 2019.
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