Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku has revealed he wants to end a 20-year playing career back at Anderlecht when he is 36.
Lukaku broke through in the Anderlecht first team when he was just 16, scoring 41 goals for the Belgian club before Chelsea swooped in the summer of 2011.
Lukaku’s career to date: Five things to know…
- Lukaku had scored 41 senior goals for Anderlecht by the time he left for Chelsea as an 18-year-old.
- Successful loan spells with West Brom and Everton led to the latter signing him permanently.
- Manchester United then made Lukaku their big-money signing in the summer of 2017.
- The Belgian left Old Trafford for Inter Milan last summer.
- He has scored 210 club goals to date and is Belgium’s all-time leading scorer with 52 goals.
Now 26, Lukaku is entering what for many would be a footballer’s peak years, having already scored over 200 club goals.
He has also proven himself to be a supreme goalscorer at international level, leading to questions about how long his Belgium career will last.
During an Instagram interview, Lukaku said: “The future of the Belgium squad depends on what happens after the Euros. My choice will be based on that too, as I’ll be 28-29 years old then.”
He went on to reveal his plans to return to Anderlecht at the end of his playing days, which is still some time away.
“I’ve been playing professional football since I was 16 and would like to play on until 36,” Lukaku said.
“My dream is to finish my career at Anderlecht, so I’ll double back and end where it all started, having been a professional for 20 years.”
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Lukaku: “I’ll never be a TV pundit”
But what about after his retirement?
Lukaku admitted that coaching could be of interest to him but insisted he will not go down the punditry route like many of his fellow professionals have in recent years.
He added: “I’d like to travel and leave it all behind for a while. I’ll never be a TV pundit, but I am studying right now. Who knows, perhaps I could become a coach.”