Lukaku’s native home is in the council estate of Wintam, a small village about 20km north of Brussels. Duiventilstraad 71 represented a humble abode for the Lukaku family.
Romelu lived with his brother Jordan, who plays for Lazio, along with mother Adolphine and father Roger, an ex-footballer in Belgium who grew up in the former Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Speaking over the past week to former friends and mentors of Lukaku, a picture emerges of a family that strived against a backdrop of financial struggle and inequality.
Adolphine worked as a cleaner while Roger’s career did not provide financial security for the family. At SJABI school, general director Ivo Marnef recalls how the school supported Lukaku. ‘His parents weren’t so rich. His dad sent money home for his family in Congo. It was very difficult for them. Financially, we helped them at school. It was not easy to pay the bills. Romelu kept missing the bus to school, so I gave him a bike to cycle to school. I gave the dad a job as a trainer at a youth club – a tiny wage.’
At his local youth clubs, Lukaku made an instant impression. His first coach, Erwin Wosky, recalls ‘a powerhouse that was taller, stronger and more determined than everyone else’. He adds: ‘Even at the age of nine, he already had an adult size eight shoe. He would use size five balls whereas other kids used sizes three or four.’
At KFC Wintam, coach Steve De Buyser took Lukaku under his wing, correcting defects in his game.
‘He had a brilliant left foot but we wanted his right to be stronger. So we took his left boot off him and made him play with one shoe in training. Now he has two brilliant feet.
‘I remember one tournament in France. His boots were shattered and worn out. I bought him new ones and he was player of the tournament. At 16, he signed his contract with Anderlecht and the first thing he did was call me and give me complete access to Anderlecht for a year as a thank you.’
By age nine, Lukaku was scoring goals at a jaw-dropping rate. In one season, including tournaments, he scored 186 goals despite playing against boys two years older than him.
De Buyser adds: ‘Coaches didn’t believe he was so young. He had to carry his passport everywhere to prove it. Other kids saw him coming on the field and they started to literally cry. He was a beast.’
At the age of 14, Anderlecht signed Lukaku. He continued to live at home and the Belgian club would organise a minibus to ferry him to and from training. He made his debut at age 16 and scored 33 goals in 73 games before Chelsea came calling when he turned 18.
Former Chelsea sporting director Frank Arnesen explains the work that went into the signing, with Manchester United and Juventus also monitoring him. Chelsea’s background work was methodical, receiving films of Anderlecht youth games while Drogba himself made direct overtures to Lukaku.
Arnesen said: ‘When he was 12 or 13 years old, my son Sebastien watched him.
https://instagram.com/p/BjIca5JHC_E/?utm_source=ig_embed
‘His attitude was everything. He was already a star at 16. He was at school in Anderlecht and the teachers told us there was no arrogance and there was no “I’m a big shot” act.
‘When I was there, we more or less had an agreement for a £2million deal about a year before Chelsea signed him. Chelsea hesitated as it was more money than they were used to paying for a young player. Roman thought it was too much. I left and a year later he signed him for £10m more. But that’s the way it is sometimes.’
At Chelsea, Lukaku had to bide his time, making a loan move to West Brom, where he scored 17 Premier League goals. Then he joined Roberto Martinez on loan at Everton.
Martinez, now his coach for the Belgian national team, tells Sportsmail: ‘We knew we were taking on potential. He had only played seven full 90 minutes in the Premier League for West Brom. We had to get him playing full games. I remember one game against Newcastle for us live on TV and you could see from 70 minutes he was almost out of breath.’
After 15 Premier League goals, Martinez committed £28m to his permanent signing and the judgement on potential has paid off. ‘He has never lost his key strength, he is a stunning finisher. His goalscoring threat with his left foot is what separates him. I had previously sent my chief scout Kevin Reeves at Wigan to watch him at Anderlecht.
Anderlecht press officer David Steegen recalls giving Lukaku a book of Mourinho quotes after a trip to England when he was a teenager. Lukaku has not forgotten his roots. Earlier this year, he visited Anderlecht and addressed youth players.