When I look at what Romelu Lukaku is doing at this World Cup, I am so proud. Romelu is a player and person I have a special relationship with. I have known him for seven years, since he first came to Chelsea at the age of 18 in 2011, and we are really close.
He is more than my very good friend, he is a kid I love and he is like my younger brother – someone I have always tried to help. I know things have not always been easy for him but the reason he is doing so well in Russia is down to the character he has shown throughout his career and the hard work he has put in to get here. Drogba and Lukaku were both at Chelsea in 2011-12 but never played together – Drogba came off the bench to replace Lukaku on the final day of the season.
But the rest is down to him. I had service like that at Chelsea, and I always thought to myself: ‘If you don’t eat well now, then you are the one responsible.’ What I mean by that is if you have got people delivering good balls to you then if you miss it is your fault – and that is the mentality Romelu has got too. As we have seen, he is not missing now – he has scored four goals from five shots in the two games he has played so far – and I would put that down to the fact that, as a player, he is a perfectionist. If you have a desire to always improve like he does, then in the end it pays off.