Lukaku is rediscovering his form at Napoli.
Image credit: Football Factly
Romelu Lukaku has openly criticized his treatment at Chelsea, describing how he was consistently compared to Didier Drogba and placed into a style of play that did not suit him.
Speaking on the Friends of Sports podcast, Lukaku shared his frustration over being typecast as a Drogba replacement, saying, “In England, they wanted to put me in a box. They see someone built like me and think: new Drogba. I’m not like that.”
Lukaku joined Chelsea as a young prospect but quickly found himself out of favor, leading to his transfer to Everton. In 2019, after a successful stint with Inter Milan, he rejoined Chelsea in a highly anticipated multi-million-pound deal.
However, he again struggled to meet expectations at Stamford Bridge. Critics labeled him as “lazy” and “selfish,” a narrative Lukaku strongly disagrees with, asserting that these views were based on misperceptions of his playing style.
Reflecting on his time at Chelsea, Lukaku noted, “The narratives when I was in England was ‘he’s lazy, he doesn’t work hard, he’s not a leader, he’s selfish.’”
While Lukaku may have felt limited by the system at Chelsea, his return to Italy with Napoli has been a bright spot. Now playing under Antonio Conte, he has started strong, free from the weight of Drogba comparisons and the criticisms he felt hindered his time in the Premier League.
Lukaku remains determined to prove his critics wrong, embracing a playing style that allows him to showcase his skills on his own terms.