Manchester United and Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku has praised Chelsea legend Didier Drogba for helping him develop into the superstar player he is today.
The 25-year-old joined the Blues from Belgian club Anderlecht as a highly rated youngster in 2011 and during his time at Stamford Bridge, he worked with the Ivorian as he aimed to hone his talents. Even though Lukaku did not have the desired impact for Chelsea, he credits Drogba for helping to shape him as a player.
He said: “Everybody knows Didier Drogba is a bit of a big brother to me. He’s helped me from when I arrived in England, we have a very special and close relationship. He demands a lot of me because he knows I have the potential to do big things.”
Many Chelsea fans regarded Lukaku as a flop, as he failed to score in only 15 appearances in all competitions during his time at Stamford Bridge. He subsequently spent time with West Brom and Everton, before his loan deal with the Toffees was made permanent in 2014.
It was during the 2016-17 season that Lukaku truly established himself as one of the best strikers in the world, with his 25 goals putting him prominently in the shop window. This ultimately led to a transfer to Manchester United during the summer of 2017.
Lukaku is currently a key member of the Belgian World Cup squad, which secured an impressive 2-1 quarter-final win over pre-tournament favourites Brazil on Friday to win a place in the semi-final, where they will face a tough encounter against France. With the Belgians having beaten Brazil, they will surely fancy that they can go on and win the World Cup for the first time in their history.
