Romelu Lukaku: Why Belgian Striker Always Looks to the Sky When Celebrating His Goals

Romelu Lukaku: Why Belgian Striker Always Looks to the Sky When Celebrating His Goals

Elijah Odetokun
updated at June 5, 2023 at 3:48 PM
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  • Romelu Lukaku is gearing up for the Champions League final against Manchester City on Saturday
  • The Chelsea star on-loan at Inter Milan was pivotal to the feat coming off the bench in most cases
  • Lukaku has shared insight into why he is not desperate for glory in Istanbul on Saturday

Romelu Lukaku is not desperate for Champions League glory when Inter Milan take on Manchester City in the final in Istanbul on Saturday.

This is not because he is not ambitious, but he has fulfilled his biggest dream in football, a promise made to his grandfather when he was a 12-year-old boy.

Romelu Lukaku, Inter Milan, San Siro, Atalanta, Italian Serie A.
Romelu Lukaku points to the sky when celebrating as a tribute to his late grandfather. Photo by Marco Canoniero.
Source: Getty Images

He is unlikely to start the final, with Simone Inzaghi preferring a front two of Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez due to Lukaku’s fitness struggles earlier in the season.

Lukaku explains goal celebration

He grew up in poverty and watched his mum, Adolphine, add water to milk to make it go around with his brothers. As a child, he could not watch football on TV as his family could not afford cable TV.

His biggest motivation was his promise to his grandfather at 12 before his passing that he would take care of his mum, which explains his goal celebration.

“All the goals that I have scored - everything. I promised him that I would look after my mum, when I was 12, I did that. So every time when I look at my mum and I see her in the stands, I look at him [points upwards] after every goal and I say, ‘I did it’,” he told Mirror UK.
“It doesn't matter - wins or losses, I take it in my stride. These are real family issues. So, for me he meant the world to me.”

He has a decision to make on his future after the final, but La Gazzetta dello Sport reports he has already told Mauricio Pochettino no and wants to stay at Inter at all costs.

Lukaku commits future to Inter

Sports Brief reported that Lukaku appeared to commit to Inter with his comments after the 4-2 Serie A win over Sassuolo last month.

He started the game with Dzeko rested for the UCL's second leg against AC Milan, scoring twice then stating Inter was most important.

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Elijah Odetokun photo
Elijah Odetokun
Elijah Odetokun is Reuters-trained journalist with three years of experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria, OmaSports and El Futbolero.