The Belgium legend, who recently celebrated 15 years of international service, spoke to FIFA about his stellar Red Devils career.

• Romelu Lukaku is in the 15th year of his remarkable career with Belgium
• Prolific marksman has scored 88 goals for Belgium and is the Red Devils’ all-time top goalscorer
• ‘Big Rom’ spoke to FIFA about what it means to play in a World Cup and his winning mentality

For Romelu Lukaku, winning was more of an obsession than an obligation. He models his approach to football on one of his great sporting idols, Kobe Bryant, who inspired his winning mentality, respect and work ethic — a combination that often produces great results — and the Belgian international is a testament to this given his accomplishments for club and country.

Lukaku’s international career began 15 years ago and has been marked by many memorable moments, a bucket load of goals, and plenty of experiences that have come to enrich his personal life and footballing career. Like most other players, however, the road has been far from smooth, with disappointments such as the 1-0 FIFA World Cup™ semi-final loss to France at Russia 2018 a blow that still stings. Nevertheless, it is exactly these difficult moments that forge such a winning mentality, and the Belgian has cherished every experience out on the pitch.

To celebrate his 15 years leading the line for the Red Devils, Lukaku told FIFA about his pride in representing his country, while also touching on his remarkable career and revealing what is still to come, from Napoli’s Scudetto title tussle to qualifying for the next edition of the global finals.

FIFA: How proud are you to represent Belgium and what does 15 years of playing international football mean to you? Romelu Lukaku: I’m so proud to represent my country. I started when I was 16 so I was still really young. I enjoyed working with all my team-mates and coaches at that time. It’s really a great experience to play for your country. I’ve always given my all because playing for your national team adds extra motivation — you’re playing for your country, your friends, your family. All this brings different pressures and responsibilities, but I like it a lot and hopefully there are many more great years to come.

Do you remember your first international call-up and first appearance?

I think I was at school when I got the first call-up. The following Monday, I went to school again and afterwards my father took me to the national training camp. The first player I met was Vincent Kompany, because we both came from Anderlecht and so we had that in common. And I already knew Moussa Dembele because he was my cousin’s best friend. They were my role models at an international level. I always believed I could do it. I remember playing against Croatia, I came on, played well and was close to getting on the scoresheet… I would have liked to score but it doesn’t matter, I scored plenty of goals after that game.

What have been your best and worst moments in a Belgium shirt?

I think the best moment was the goal I scored against Portugal because my brother assisted me and that was really special. The worst moment has to be at the 2018 World Cup, I think that was the worst moment for the whole country. You have to learn from these experiences and keep going.

What does it mean to play in a World Cup and what is Belgium’s goal for the next tournament in USA, Mexico and Canada?

Playing in a World Cup means everything. You have to be patient as it’s only played every four years. You never know what can happen and whether it’ll be your last World Cup. Four years is such a long time. You have to prepare yourself mentally as best as you can because you’re playing on the biggest international stage. It would be amazing to play in a fourth World Cup next year. We’re a new generation now but you never know how a team’s game, system and tactics are going change and evolve.

What is your favourite memory of your international career?

You could write a book about all the anecdotes and stories. The best thing is how competitive we were with each other. The whole time spent with that group from 2016 to 2021 was the best. We were happy to compete among ourselves and push each other to the highest level. For example, if you got beaten or nutmegged in training, it was game over. The feeling within the group was fantastic — we all hung out together and played for one another. I think that’s something we’d been missing for a while but now that team spirit is coming back and we really need it.

After a difficult upbringing, you promised your mother that you would become a footballer. What would you say to little Romelu who had dreams of becoming a professional footballer?

Ever since I was a kid I believed that I would be where I am today. I never thought that I would be the best in the world, but I believed that I would become the best Belgian number 9 of all time. I knew I was different from others and had a certain mentality that no-one else had. I knew I had big physical, athletic and technical attributes but it’s my mentality that ultimately separated me from the rest. Many people – even some in my family – told me to be wary, but I always knew that I could make it. We laugh about it now. I never let my kids say “I can’t do something”. They have to say “I can do it”. Words are so powerful and you have to believe in yourself and get that across to your own kids — like my parents did with me. To that kid, I’d say stick to your plan and block out all of the outside noise because I didn’t listen to anyone except my parents. It takes self-respect and lots of hard work.

What experience helped you to grow the most in your career?

I think the start of my time at Chelsea was both positive and negative because I was at Stamford Bridge but I wasn’t getting as much game time as I wanted. But being there taught me a lot about being in a winning environment. Sharing the dressing room with the likes of Drogba, Torres, Kalou, Malouda, Lampard, Terry, Obi-Mikel, Essien, David Luiz, Cech, Anelka — I was just an 18-year-old and being among players of that calibre taught me so much. We’d had a tough season but still managed to win the FA Cup and the Champions League. The way in which those players prepared themselves for those big moments — I’ve held onto that for my entire career. When it got to March, suddenly there was a different look in their eyes, the intensity on the training ground and how they prepared for matches… I was happy that at the end of training they even asked me to stay to do more exercises, even though I was only 18, because they respected me and the sacrifices I made and I respected them and their work ethic. I’m really grateful to them for all of this. That’s also where I learned to speak different languages, and from then on I was able to easily adapt to every club I went to. Each step I took during my career helped me become who I am today.

How much are you enjoying your time at Napoli? You said that [Dries] Mertens told you something about the city.

Dries prepared me well for Napoli. We speak a lot and he’s one of those important players off the pitch. I already knew what to do when I arrived. I’m not one of those people that goes out a lot but I always feel the warmth of the city. The fans and the people give us an incredible backing, and I appreciate their support so much. Home or away, or even out on the streets, we always get a lot of love. It’s a wonderful place to live.

What is the secret behind your relationship with Antonio Conte?

Conte and I are just honest with each other. He has some ideas and plans that I already know about. He doesn’t need to give me explanations and it doesn’t take me long to grasp what he wants from me. From a tactical point of view, he knows that I’m someone who studies the game a lot. I’ve been watching his games for a long time, more or less since he wanted to sign me back in the 2013/14 season. He pushes me, mentally and physically, to another level and I do everything I can to fully commit to his work. I think we make each other better. He’s one of the best coaches around. He’s a winner. We understand each other, first on a human level and then also on a sporting one. We respect each other and he knows that he can ask a lot of me because that’s how you get results. We both share the same desire to win and we both hate losing. Our differences are complimentary and they balance each other perfectly. Every player has that one coach that changes their career. Cristiano Ronaldo had [Sir Alex] Ferguson, [Lionel] Messi had [Pep] Guardiola, [Didier] Drogba had [Jose] Mourinho. I like to think that we’re like Phil Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal.

Does you still have a life-long dream?

For the moment, I just want to enjoy each goal I score and see where it takes me. Over time you become more experienced and can recognise the dynamics of a game. Everything becomes more simple and fun if you look at it from this angle. If the goals I score over the rest of my career bring me titles then I’ll be really happy, because ultimately football is all about winning. I don’t have a particular dream, I just want to be fit and healthy — that’s the most important thing. I’d like to play for as long as possible at the highest level and enjoy many more games in this wonderful sport that has changed my life and that of my family.

Source: FIFA