Inter Milan have been crowned the winners of Serie A of the 2020/21 season with still four games left in hand. By doing so, Inter were able to put an end to the decade long dominance of Juventus, and it is now safe to say that the heydays of the blue side of San Siro are restored.
Although Juve have played a big part in Inter winning the Scudetto – because the Old Lady have declined massively this season, it is still no easy feat for the Nerazzurri as they had strived hard to reach here. Many factors can be attributed to their success, but one of the undeniable things would be Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian’s monstrous form made Inter untouchable at the Italian top flight and also helped them have a crack at the title, which has been evading over a long time.
The troublesome spell at Manchester United
The Lukaku we know now is the striker who can wreak havoc to any defence and score goals on a regular basis. But it’s been a long and hard-fought journey for him to reach what we now call the pinnacle of his career.
Firstly, Lukaku had to go through a dormant spell at Chelsea between 2011 and 2014, where he hardly made first-team appearances. Luckily, Everton provided him with the platform to display his full potential, and it is during the extended spell at Goodison Park, the Belgian’s name fell on the radar of Europe’s top clubs. Eventually, he moved to probably the most prominent destination of his career yet, Manchester United.
However, the Belgian endured more hardships during his two-year stint at Old Trafford, which often led to more potshots from the fans. Perhaps, many failed to notice Lukaku’s productive first season – 27 goals and nine assists in all competitions. And when people demanded more from £75m man the following season, but it seems something did not click, and Ole Gunnar Solskjær let Lukaku go.
Scudetto with Inter Milan
Inter were persistent with Lukaku, especially Antonio Conte, when United were open to selling him in the summer of 2019. The Nerazzurri eventually snapped up the Belgian for a club-record fee of around €80m as Conte envisioned the former Toffees man would be central to his project. As it turned out, Lukaku didn’t let down the Italian boss in his debut season at San Siro, finding the nets 34 times in all competitions, the best season of his career at that point. However, Inter eventually ended as the runners up of Serie A.
After Inter failed in Europa League final last season, Lukaku has become an even more powerful striker this season, racking up 21 goals and 9 assists in 33 Serie A appearances. Joining hands with Lautaro Martinez in the attack, Lukaku shredded every opposition into pieces, say AC Milan, Juventus, Lazio and Atalanta and established as one of the fearsome strikers in Europe. If he opts to stay with Inter amid strong interest from Manchester City, Chelsea and Barcelona – hopefully, he does. Lukaku would surely try to lead Inter to the Champions League glory next season.
Partnership with Lautaro Martinez
With the Argentinian Lukaku form with formidable partnership who had been very successful in Serie A this year. Martinez was one of the most sought after players in Serie A, as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Man City were trying to lure him away from Milan.
Lukaku and Martinez celebrating Inter goal against Napoli
| Goals | Assists | |
| Romelu Lukaku | 21 | 10 |
| Lautaro Martinez | 15 | 3 |
Character that unsettled Ibrahimovic and AC Milan
The match which could be termed as turning point for Milan teams was Milan derby. Perhaps the brawl in the field just before the break, when Inter was 0-1 down, changed the fate of the game as well as the course of Serie A.
Zlatan who gave AC Milan 1-0 lead before the incident, had the most horrendous moment coming, as he got a red after the break. Inter Milan won the match 2-1, as Lukaku and Eriksen scored.
Key Man for Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte had never kept his admiration for Lukaku a secret and the Belgian did everything for the Nerazzurri. Lukaku is just after Lionel Messi and Harry Kane, in terms of Goal contribution (goals and assists together) during current season.
If he opts to stay with Inter amid strong interest from Manchester City, Chelsea and Barcelona, Lukaku would surely try to lead Inter to the Champions League glory next season.
