da bet7k： For years, we have waited for Romelu Lukaku to live up to his potential and it looks like he is starting to do that at Everton.
da spicy bet： He made his debut at just 16 for Belgian side Anderlecht and scored 33 goals in 73 games, highlighting himself as one of the best young strikers in the world.
In August 2011, he signed for Chelsea for a fee of around £17m but struggled for playing time in his opening season. He did show what he was capable of in spurts, however, and earned comparisons with Didier Drogba for his physicality.
He first managed to show he could cut it in the Premier League on a loan spell at West Bromwich Albion. The Belgian managed 17 goals in 35 games to help the Baggies to their best ever Premier League finish.
He has since established himself as one of the league’s best strikers for Everton and is coming on well this season under Ronald Koeman. And Lukaku’ meteoric development has produced five stats that show just how brilliant a striker he truly is.
MORE GOALS AT 22 THAN CRISTIANO RONALDO
A statistic heavily touted last year was the sheer amount of goals Lukaku had managed before turning 23.
The Belgian had 121 senior goals by that point – more than legendary Premier League goalscorers Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo.
In fact, the only modern players to have beaten his record in top flights were the Brazilian Ronaldo, Sergio Aguero, Raul and Lionel Messi.
The feat is made even more impressive by the fact he essentially missed a season of development at Stamford Bridge.
FIFTH PLAYER UNDER 23 TO REACH 50 PL GOALS
Another fact that makes the previous feat even more impressive is how many of those goals came in the Premier League.
It would be easy to scoff and say he was against easy defences had he scored most of his goals in the Belgian top flight, but Lukaku has actually scored over a half century in the Premier League already.
He was only the fifth man to manage it at his age, after Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo – putting him in some pretty illustrious company.
BELGIAN LEAGUE TOP SCORER AT 18
In his first full season at Anderlecht, Lukaku was already wowing football fans.
At the tender age of 17, Lukaku managed to win the Golden Boot as he scored 15 goals in 33 games and also won the Belgian Pro League title.
Lukaku was incredibly developed for such a young player and bullied defenders with his strength and aerial ability.
He even went one better the next season season but was unable to help Anderlecht to retain the league.
OVER 250 GOALS AT YOUTH LEVEL
After playing for Rupel Boom from an early age, Lukaku was discovered by Lierse SK, a top division Belgian side with a reputable youth academy.
Between 2004 and 2006, he scored 121 goals in 68 appearances, almost managing two goals a game.
Lierse were relegated and Lukaku joined a host of his teammates in a move to Anderlecht, where he scored a further 131 goals in 93 games – making his total at youth level an impressive 252 goals in 161 appearances.
BACK IN THE GOALS THIS SEASON
This season is shaping up to be Lukaku’s best yet, with the Belgian already grabbing seven goals from eight starts.
The management of Ronald Koeman seems to be having a positive effect, with Lukaku currently the league’s second top scorer despite missing the start of the campaign as he was rested after Euro 2016.
The Belgian has even improved his goal involvement, adding three assists to his strikes and becoming a real focal point for his side.