Romelu Lukaku says he can improve more and quotes Karim Benzema as the example he wants to follow.
Lukaku played a key role while Napoli won the Scudetto last season, scoring 14 goals, to help the Antonio tale team to win first place in front of Inter Milan.
The well -transported Belgian is now in the last years of an extremely successful career which has included spells in Chelsea, Manchester United, Inter and Roma before landing in Naples 12 months ago.
He continues to be one of the main European attackers, 16 years old after making his debut at 16 for Anderlecht.
Lukaku puts his longevity, and those of other players of his generation, because of advances in medical science and says that the former striker of Real Madrid Benzema, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2022, is his inspiration.
In a large interview with Gazzetta, the 32 -year -old said: “Of course, we have the tools to do more and more. I have a gymnasium at home.
“”[Lionel] Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Robert] Lewandowski, Ibra [Zlatan Ibrahimovic] are great, but my example is Benzema, who, in the last 32, won the Ballon d’Or. You have to expect with the right mentality. LeBron James also says it.
I’m more altruistic now, says Lukaku
Lukaku thinks he is a better player now – and contributes more to the team – than the one who played for the first time in Serie A for Inter in 2019.
“I’m more experienced, that’s for sure,” he added. “And I do a lot of tactical work at home: I look at the opposing teams, I have more control of the things that happen and I see the action before it happens. Before I was more reactive, more dynamic.
“People can say that the physical has changed, but even now, in each race, there are two or three actions in which I can make the difference starting back. But I am more altruistic, the assists say it. When I arrived in Italy, I looked at myself more.”
This does not mean that he was completely satisfied with his contribution last season.
“I wanted to do better, when you are ambitious, you always want to do better,” he said. “I could have done more: 14 goals and 10 assists is a decent return but it is not the best, I always try to lift the bar, you cannot go to perfection but you must try to get closer. But I am happy, because the team won.”
Lukaku plays to speak, he convinced Bruyne to join Napoli
Lukaku will have the international colleague Kevin de Bruyne play behind him in the coming months following his release from Manchester City after a 10 -year spell charged with Etihad trophy.
The pair dates back to the continuation of the different ranks of young people in Belgium and also played each other in Chelsea.
Despite their longtime friendship, Lukaku insists that he was not too involved in Bruyne’s decision to arouse the interest of MLS and the Saudi Pro League to join Napoli.
“Just two very simple calls,” he said. “I explained to him what it means playing here, that we are a team that wants to improve and be confirmed for next year. It will be a big challenge but he likes challenges. ”
I am the man I wanted to be – Lukaku
A third Scituditto – he won his first with Inter – is the target next season but, whatever the result, Lukaku is satisfied with what he has achieved in his career having come from a depleted environment.
He said, “I am the man I wanted to be. I have given the opportunity to my whole family to go to school and university. In the best moments of my career, they were still there at the stadium: my mother, my children, my brother. Look, on my phone, there is my mother who lifts the Scudetto trophy.
“Even suffering in adulthood, she always told me” remember where we come from. ” Growing up, I often think of what I have experienced and something breaks in me, it gives me energy.
“I don’t want my children to relive what I have experienced. Now they are fine, they are already talking about three languages at three and seven years old. And I’m happy because even in football, I have everything: I’m in the right team, with the right coach, in the right club. You can see that Napoli also takes steps forward every year. ”
Napoli opens the defense of their serial crown in Sassuolo on August 23.
