Global InformationList of international goals scored by Romelu Lukaku information
Romelu Lukaku is a Belgian professional footballer who represents the Belgium national football team as a striker. Aged 17, he made his debut for his country in a 1–0 defeat to Croatia in Brussels in March 2010. His first and second international goals came on his eighth appearance for Belgium, in a 2–0 friendly victory over Russia.
As of 26 March 2024[update], Lukaku is his country's top scorer with 83 goals in 114 appearances.[1] The Belgian Football Association confirmed that he had broken the national record when Lukaku scored his 31st international goal in a match against Japan in November 2017.[2] FIFA, however, did not initially recognise the record as three goals had been scored against Luxembourg in a friendly in May 2014 later declared by the organisation as an unofficial friendly due to too many substitutions being made.[1][3] He scored twice against Tunisia in the group stages of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, a game after which football journalist Nick Ames praised him for a "laudable act of sportsmanship" as he had indicated to the referee that he had not been fouled in the penalty area, denying himself the chance of a hat-trick.[4] The two goals took his overall tally in the 2018 World Cup to four and made him Belgium's highest scorer in a single World Cup tournament,[4] and made him the first player since Diego Maradona in the 1986 FIFA World Cup to score back-to-back braces (two goals in a single game).[5]
As of November 2023, Lukaku has scored four hat-tricks during his international career,[1] including the treble against Luxembourg, with the others coming in a 9–0 win against Gibraltar in a 2018 World Cup qualifier in August 2017, a 3–0 victory against Sweden in a Euro 2024 qualifier in March 2023, and four goals in a 5–0 win over Azerbaijan in November 2023, also a Euro 2024 qualifier.[1] Lukaku has scored more goals in friendlies than in any other format, with 23. He has scored eighteen goals in qualifying for the FIFA World Cup, five in FIFA World Cup finals, 21 in qualifying for the UEFA European Championship, six in the European Championship finals and ten in the UEFA Nations League.[1] Lukaku scored his four most recent goals in the aforementioned 5–0 UEFA Euro qualifying win against Azerbaijan in November 2023.[6]
- ^ a b c d e Mamrud, Roberto. "Romelu Menama Lukaku Bolingoli – Goals in International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ^ "FIFA doesn't recognise Romelu Lukaku all-time goals record for Belgium". ESPN. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Belgium vs Luxembourg not an official friendly, say FIFA". Reuters. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ^ a b Ames, Nick (23 June 2018). "Romelu Lukaku tops Golden Boot race with Ronaldo as Belgium cruise". ESPN. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ^ "Belgium's Romelu Lukaku first to score back-to-back World Cup braces since Maradona". ESPN. 23 June 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
recent5was invoked but never defined (see the help page).