Romelu Lukaku at 31: Top 5 Controversies of Chelsea Striker’s Career

• Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku is celebrating his 31st birthday today
• The Belgian star is on his second loan since rejoining the Blues in 2021
• Lukaku has been involved in a number of controversies in his career

Romelu Lukaku is one of the best strikers of his generation, and despite the disrespect he gets from some fans on social media, he is an unbelievable goalscorer.

The Belgian has played for some top clubs in the world, including Chelsea, Manchester United and Inter Milan, but has found a way to be in the bad books of the fans of each club.

According to Transfermarkt, he has been involved in eight transfers in his career, most of which have been controversial. He has accumulated a transfer fee of €339.22 million, the second highest only behind Neymar.

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Sports Brief looks at five controversies in his career as he turns 31 today.

Romelu Lukaku’s career controversies

1. Professing love for Inter at Chelsea

Chelsea paid £97.5mil to re-sign Lukaku from Inter Milan after the Blues won the UEFA Champions League in 2021. He started brightly, but things turned sour when he had an interview with Sky Italia, where he criticised manager Thomas Tuchel’s methods. It was the beginning of the end of his Chelsea career.

2. Inter Milan call ghosting fiasco

Lukaku returned to Inter on loan after one season and won the hearts of Nerazzurri fans again. Per The Athletic, Inter and Chelsea agreed to a permanent fee of £34mil, but Lukaku refused to pick up the Italian’s calls, and the deal collapsed. It was later disclosed that he felt disrespected because he was benched for the UCL final.

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3. Flirting with Juventus

The Belgian has found a way to be hated by fans of all the clubs he has played for. Even though he was not an Inter player, the reports that he was in contact with rivals Juventus while Nerazzuri were negotiating with Chelsea infuriated the Milano fans. The Old Lady fans also staged a protest against him.

4. Throwing Manchester United under the bus

Per Planet Football, Lukaku, on the LightHearted Podcast in 2019, accused Manchester United of finding a culprit despite other players performing poorly. He admitted he was blamed for other players and orchestrated a move away to Italy.

5. Ditching unambitious Everton

The former Anderlecht star spent three seasons at Merseyside after leaving Chelsea permanently for the first time in 2014. 2017, before his £75mil move to Manchester United, he questioned the club's ambitions. In another interview, he confirmed that he would leave the club in a few weeks.

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When Mourinho called Lukaku a kid

Sports Brief previously reported that Jose Mourinho called Lukaku a kid during their previous spell together at Manchester United when the striker chose AS Roma as his next destination.

Their working relationship at Roma was short-lived when the Special One was sacked in January. Chelsea will decide the Belgian’s future in the summer.