- Lukaku, 31, claims that a match in 2022 left him physically and mentally ‘broken’
- The striker avoided football for weeks after the game in order to heal himself
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Romelu Lukaku has revealed the time in his life that football broke him, leaving him crying every day.
The 31-year-old has enjoyed a fruitful start to life at Napoli after joining on a permanent deal from Chelsea in the summer.
However, prior to the move, the forward endured a tough few years in the sport as he was shipped out on various loans while at the Blues.
His form also impacted him at the international level and while playing for Belgium at the Qatar World Cup in 2022, Lukaku missed three gilt-edged chances in a must-win group match against Croatia.
The misses meant Belgium could only manage a 0-0 draw and were ultimately dumped out of the World Cup before the knockout stages.
Romelu Lukaku has revealed that a game against Croatia in the 2022 Wolrd Cup broke him
The forward missed three-gilt edged chances as Belgium crashed out of the tournament
The forward entered the fray at half-time as Belgium teetered on the brink of a shock group stage elimination.
Lukaku had two prime opportunities to break the deadlock at the hour mark but spurned both to the surprise of many.
In the final moments of the match, Lukaku had a chance to atone for his earlier mistakes when the ball fell to him inside the six-yard box but once again he failed to convert.
Following the match, Lukaku was criticised by both fans and the media. However, the striker has now revealed that the missed chances themselves had the biggest impact on his mental health.
‘So we played Croatia and it was 0-0 and I said ‘”There’s hope”,’ Lukaku told the Friends of Sports podcast. ‘Then I go subbed on and you guys know how the game went – I missed four clear-cut chances. God decided it that way, no problem.
‘But the aftermath of it all started when I punched the dugout window, that was when all of my frustrations came out.
‘I’ve been playing football for 23 years and that is the first time it got me like that. The very first time.
‘I never thought about depression but I swear to you I left, I went on holiday, and for a week straight I was crying every day. Physically and mentally I was broken.’
Lukaku failed to break the deadlock in the 90th-minute leading to criticism from fans
Lukaku recalls the match being the first time he had ever shown such frustration in public
The ordeal left Lukaku’s mental health in tatters, he avoided the sport he loved as much as he could in the weeks that followed.
The striker has since disclosed that former Belgium assistant coach Thierry Henry ensured he had support throughout what was a tough time for him.
‘I have to give a massive shoutout to Thierry Henry, he called me three times a day every day asking “Is everything OK? How are you doing mentally?” Because he knows what it’s like.
‘He’s just like me he breathes football, he knows everything. He watches all the games and he knows I am a football addict.
‘From that point on until the final, I didn’t watch any World Cup games, I just cried every day.’
Prior to Belgium’s clash with Croatia almost two years ago, there were doubts that Lukaku would even feature.
The striker missed the first two group games against Canada and Morocco through injury but returned due to his desire to keep Belgium in the tournament.
‘We had three days to prepare for the game against Croatia, so my first official training session was the day after the game against Morocco.
Former Belgium coach Thierry Henry consoled Lukaku furing a tough time in his career
‘I also trained two days before the game against Croatia, they were my first training sessions in three months.
‘I knew win, lose, or draw that I am going to be there. The manager needed me, the team needed me and Belgium needed me.’
