he Didier Drogba comparisons have followed Romelu Lukaku since he set foot inside Stamford Bridge as an awestruck 17-year-old in 2010. Five years on he is justifying those lofty expectations with help from the man himself. “He gives me tips all the time,” Lukaku has admitted. The irony will not be lost on José Mourinho.
Lukaku became the 12th player in Everton’s history to score 50 goals in his first 100 games for the club with Monday’s late equaliser against Crystal Palace. The tap-in, his 14th goal in all competitions this season, took the 22-year-old into an exclusive Everton club that includes such luminaries as Dixie Dean (50 in 62 games), Tommy Lawton (50 in 68), Roy Vernon (50 in 84), Joe Royle (50 in 88) and Dave Hickson (50 in 94).
A seventh goal in six matches prompted Roberto Martínez to claim the time for discussing Lukaku’s potential is over. “It makes you realise what a special footballer we have,” the Everton manager said. “And there’s a lot more to come given he’s only 22.”
The statistics reflect the vast improvement made by Lukaku since he overcame the injury problems that followed him back from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but a wider range of goals is not the only progression. The striker’s first touch, passing, heading and awareness of those around him have all improved in 2015, a year that has yielded 27 goals so far, and all were evident against Palace as he created chances for Ross Barkley, Arouna Koné and Gerard Deulofeu. He has become the player Chelsea envisaged as Drogba’s long-term replacement when they paid Anderlecht an initial £12m in 2011, only to shift responsibility for his development elsewhere.
“I still speak to Drogba. Me and him we have a really special relationship since day one,” said Lukaku after Monday’s 1-1 draw. “When I arrived at Chelsea they put me next to him in the dressing room so that is when it started and I saw what a top professional he was – not just him but John Terry, Frank Lampard, Nicolas Anelka, Fernando Torres. As an 18-year-old I was watching what they were doing and soaking it up, and it was a good year of preparation. At the time I was frustrated because I was 17 and playing a lot in Belgium and I had a great reputation there but looking back I think it helped me to be the player I am today.”
Lukaku never played alongside Drogba in a competitive game or scored for Chelsea during a Stamford Bridge career of officially three years but in reality, 15 appearances and two season-long loan moves. It was the striker’s decision to leave in 2014 having become disillusioned with the lack of opportunity at Chelsea, although Mourinho may well lament that Drogba has offered more guidance to Lukaku than the club that introduced him to the Premier League.
Last season, with Chelsea sweeping to the title and Lukaku struggling to justify his £28m transfer fee in a struggling Everton side, the champions were lauded for the return on their investment. Today it is not Chelsea’s predicament that exacerbates the sense of loss around Lukaku but the player’s form at a club that develops young talent in a way Stamford Bridge and Mourinho do not. In Martínez’s words, the Belgium international relishes “the big responsibility” he has at Everton. It is another trait learned from Drogba.
Asked what was the most important lesson he took from the current Montreal Impact striker, Lukaku replied: “The determination to win. He was a leader. When the team needed him the most he always delivered so that is what I aim for and hopefully one day I can say I was that type of player. I text him, I phone him whenever I need him. I just call him and say: ‘I did this today, this is going through my mind, how should I do this?’ He knows what to say and what not to say and that’s what I like about him.”
Not that the Everton centre-forward wishes to be defined in Drogba terms for the remainder of his career, however. “He is my idol and he knows it but I am Romelu Lukaku and I am proud of my family name and I want to make my own story,” says the striker who, for all the plaudits against Palace, was angered at the loss of two more valuable points by an Everton team with designs on the Champions League.
“I respect Didier a lot but I think there are still differences in our style of play and I am a young player. I want to play at a high level and help my team-mates out and hopefully at the end of my career I can say I did my best to create a name for myself.” Lukaku is firmly on course.
