9 Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku, 1993-05-13, Forward for Belgium, plays for Napoli. 120 international caps, 85 goals. Part of Belgium's 2026 World Cup Group G squad.
Biography
Napoli striker and Belgium's all-time top scorer. Currently plying his trade at Napoli, a clinical forward, Romelu Lukaku possesses sharp finishing instincts and intelligent movement, serving as Belgium's primary attacking threat. Has earned 120 international caps, scoring 85 goals — a remarkable scoring rate. Set to compete with Belgium at the 2026 World Cup, building on the team's 14 previous tournament appearances.
Career Timeline
Belgium's all-time top goalscorer, Lukaku made his senior international debut in 2010, and has represented his country at six major tournaments: the 2016, 2020 and 2024 UEFA European Championships and the 2014, 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups; he finished as joint second-highest goalscorer to win the Bronze Boot in 2018.
In 2021, Lukaku returned to Chelsea in a club-record transfer worth £97.5 million (€115 million), becoming the seventh-most expensive player, the most expensive Belgian player and, at the time, the most expensive player of all time in cumulative transfer fees.
He subsequently signed with Manchester United in a transfer worth £75 million (€85 million), but after a breakdown in relations with the club, Lukaku departed for Inter Milan in 2019, in a club-record deal worth €80 million (£68.1 million), where he won a Serie A title and the Serie A Most Valuable Player award.
In 2011, he joined Chelsea in a transfer worth £10 million (€12 million), but limited playing time resulted in loans to West Bromwich Albion and Everton; in 2014, Lukaku signed with Everton in a then club-record transfer worth £28 million (€32 million), going on to finish as the league's second-top goalscorer.