Antwerp, Belgium, late 90s. Romelu Lukaku was just 6 years old when he walked into his kitchen and saw something he would never forget: his mother mixing milk with water so it would last the whole week.
“We didn’t have enough money to make it last. We were ruined. Not just poor, but broke”, he would confess years later. That night, without saying a word, he made himself a promise.
In his home, cable TV went first, then electricity, then hot water. His mother heated water in a kettle so they could bathe, and sometimes she had to ask for bread on credit at the neighborhood bakery.
He asked his father at what age he could start earning money. “At 16”, he replied. That same day he decided he would be the best player in Belgium’s history.
At 16 he made his debut for Anderlecht. Then came Chelsea, Everton, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Napoli.
Today he is his national team’s all-time leading scorer, with more than 70 goals, and each of them carries that childhood promise.