Napoli, Lukaku: "Conte motivates me every day, I feel more mature…" | OneFootball

Napoli, Lukaku: “Conte manages to motivate me every day! I feel more mature…”

Romelu Lukaku, Napoli striker, gave a lengthy interview to “La Gazzetta dello Sport.”

There are great athletes, and then there are icons. Those who only need to be present to take center stage. Romelu Lukaku is one of them: his eyes still carry traces of past disappointments, but his mind and spirit are always in the right mood. They call it a winning mentality. The same mentality with which he helped Napoli win the Scudetto at the first attempt.

“So many people celebrating, smiles, the joy of a city. It was wonderful. I had never experienced a party like that, a unique experience.”

Thesis confirmed: with Conte and Lukaku, you win.

“We have the same mentality: only through hard work can you improve. He has a footballing idea that suits my characteristics, and when I’m at home, I try to learn the game concepts he wants. Our relationship has always worked because he manages to give me those daily motivations to always try to be the best.”

Is Antonio a bit like your footballing father?

“Yes, just like Roberto Martinez was with Belgium, Koeman at Everton, and Ariel Jacobs at Anderlecht. They are the ones who changed my life.”

How much did you influence De Bruyne’s arrival?

“Very little. Just two calls, very simple. I explained to him what it means to play here, that we’re a team that wants to improve and prove itself again next year. It will be a great challenge, but he likes challenges.”

Conte said: “Whoever wears the Scudetto on their chest is by definition the favorite among favorites.”

“It’s a new championship, we start from zero. We’re here to prepare well now, then we’ll see.”

The differences between the Lukaku who arrived at Inter in 2019 and the one today?

“I’m more experienced, for sure. And I do a lot of tactical work at home: I watch opposing teams, I have more control over what happens, and I see the play before it happens. Before, I was more reactive, more dynamic. People might say my physique has changed, but even now, in every match, there are two or three plays where I can make a difference starting from deep. But I’m more selfless now, as the assists show. When I first came to Italy, I was more focused on myself.”

Was Napoli your revenge?

“People had doubts about me, but I was convinced we would do something special.”

And winning at the wire against Inter, did that make it even more special?

“No, it would have been the same against Milan or Juve. The journey itself was special. We fought until the last second. The last three weeks were super stressful, with positive and negative emotions mixing, up and down like a roller coaster. That’s why it was even better.”

Your last Champions League match was the final lost with Inter in Istanbul. Can you turn that disappointment into energy for your Napoli?

“I took it very badly for a year, I’ll be honest. You see how things went… I couldn’t say my piece (about Inter), I let people talk because I’m not someone who likes to go to the press and attack, I prefer to respond on the pitch. Now let’s look ahead, we’re back in the Champions League: let’s have fun.”

What bothered you after Istanbul?

“You see things, but if people don’t know the truth, it’s another story, you can’t understand why I made certain choices… In my career, every time I’ve told the truth, it’s been seen as uncomfortable. And now I want to avoid controversy.”

Give a grade to your first season with Napoli?

“I wanted to do better, when you’re ambitious you always want to do better. I could have done more: 14 goals and 10 assists is a decent haul but it’s not the best, I always try to raise the bar, you can’t reach perfection but you have to try to get close. But I’m happy, because the team won.”

At 32 years old and with top player status, can you still improve?

“Of course, we have the tools to always do more. I have a gym at home. Messi, Ronaldo, Lewandowski, Ibra are amazing, but my example is Benzema, who won the Ballon d’Or after turning 32. You have to look ahead with the right mentality. LeBron James says so too.”

You mentioned Ibra: has that derby quarrel been resolved?

“No need. But I respect his career: he was a unique player.”

Are you helping Lucca?

“I told him he needs to understand the movements, how we play. I talk to him like I do with Lang and Kevin. If he understands the movements, he’ll see that every time the ball comes, he’ll have three options: in my first year with Conte, it took me four months…”

First summer without transfer market anxiety. Was it shocking?

“I’d say more ‘Peace & Love’ – he laughs. I focused on my family, without waiting for the agent’s call. I watched many of my son’s tournaments with Anderlecht’s youth teams.”

You once said you realized you were poor when you saw your mom mixing water with milk. Thinking about how far you’ve come, what makes you most proud?

“I’ve become the man I wanted to be. I gave my whole family the chance to go to school and university. In the best moments of my career, they were always there at the stadium: my mom, my kids, my brother. Look, on my phone there’s a picture of my mom lifting the Scudetto trophy (shows it). See, it’s a form of revenge. And even in suffering, as an adult, she always pushed me: ‘remember where we come from.’ As I grow, I often think about what I’ve been through and something clicks, it gives me energy: I don’t want my kids to relive what I went through. Now they’re doing well, they already speak three languages at 3 and 7 years old. And I’m happy because even in football I have everything: I’m in the right team, with the right coach, at the right club. You can see that Napoli is also making great strides every year.”

What kind of dad is Lukaku?

“Very affectionate. I always hug them, I like physical contact. It’s very hard for me to be strict with them. With my mom, my girlfriend, and my brother I’m tougher.”

You’ve always been on the front line against racism: have you seen progress since you started playing until now?

“It’s complicated to talk about it every time. More needs to be done, less said.”

The goal against Cagliari closed the circle: a classic Lukaku goal, in full stride, with power. And a furious, liberating celebration.

“There was some technique too, you know, I nutmegged him – he laughs again. It was a furious celebration because everyone had written me off, for three years they put a cross on me. Then, in the end, to win like that, with the coach who also had a cross put on him after Tottenham, it was wonderful.”

That’s why you cried.

“Yes, I took an incredible weight off my shoulders. Winning once can happen. Doing it twice means you’re a winner. Now we start again, let’s see what we can add to the trophy cabinet.”

You speak six languages. How’s your Neapolitan?

“It’s hard, honestly. They speak very fast among themselves. But if I focus, I can try. I love how they greet each other in the morning: ‘we, guagliù’… I really love that. It drives me crazy, I write it to all my friends.” Napoli has gotten under his skin.

Carlo Gioia

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.