【Editor's Note】
Drogba, 20 years into the 21st century, is one of the greatest frontline killers.
As a Chelsea star, he witnessed the growth story of Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku. He saw the little boy climb up step by step, coming to Manchester United to score four goals in the World Cup.
Drogba, like his elders, the teenager he favored, had finally matured.
Russia World Cup Quarterfinals: Belgium 3-2 Japan. Belgium lukaku header. Visual China figure
I was so proud when I saw Romelu Lukaku's performance at the World Cup.
Lukaku is a player and friend with whom I have a special relationship. We have known each other for seven years since he came to Chelsea in 2011 at the age of 18 and have been close.
He's not just a good friend of mine, he's a kid I love, like my brother, and I've been trying to help him.
For him, things don't always go smoothly, and the reason he's played so well in Russia is the character traits he's shown throughout his career and the hard work he's put in to get here.
Of course, Belgium has created a lot of opportunities for him. If you have Hazard, De Bruyne, Mertens behind you, then as a striker you understand that someone will give you "pie"
But the rest of the performance is up to him. I do the same job at Chelsea and I always ask myself: "If you don't 'eat' now, you're responsible for it. ”
I mean if someone passes you a good ball and you miss a chance, that's your fault. Lukaku thinks the same way.
As we all know, he will not let the opportunity slip away again, and so far he has scored four goals with five shots on goal. I explain this way, as a player, he is a perfectionist.
If you have the same desire to keep improving like Lukaku, you will succeed.
Drogba and Lukaku.
He needs to learn everything
The first time he spoke to Lukaku, he was still in Anderlecht, a young boy.
My friend Kompany asked him to answer the phone and Lukaku told me he was an avid Chelsea fan and that I was his idol. He put my name on the back of my jersey and hung my poster on the wall.
A few years later, the boy was with us, sitting next to me in the Chelsea dressing room.
I gave him that [dressing room] position and he deserved to be Chelsea's next striker, so I wanted to make it easier for him to learn from me and understand the spirit of the team.
I want to pass on my club experience and advice to him – that's why he's here.
In the beginning, he had to work hard. I remember the first time Lukaku came to the club, sometimes he didn't finish all his training sessions – the coach took him aside and let him practice the first touch, passing and everything.
Young he was very raw. But physically strong, yes, it has always been.
I always questioned him, told him to keep improving, to be a player like no other, to be faster, to move and turn more flexibly.
He did it. Seeing the way he looks now, and remembering him 7 years ago, a huge change has taken place. If you look at him at different stages of the game, the advantages are everywhere.
Belgium 3-2 Japan, Lukaku celebrates with teammates.
He's not short of self-confidence, he just wants to improve
Unfortunately, Lukaku at Chelsea was not able to do that, but we kept in touch during this time and we talked a lot. I was happy to hear him say I helped him.
He was always looking to me for advice or asking for different ways of doing things. But that's not because he lacks self-confidence, but because he craves progress.
Like I said in the TV commentary after he scored two goals against Tunisia, we talked a lot about his running, the angle of his shot and his footwork against goal.
Before scoring the first goal against Tunisia, Lukaku's small steps are like a tennis player's footwork before hitting the ball, which can improve accuracy.
It was a good feeling to see this scene. But when I talked to him after the game against Panama in Belgium, we talked about one of the opportunities he got and I told him he could do better without touching the ball with his left foot.
Lukaku explained that he tried to get past the defender, but I said you need to focus on the first touch, so it would be better to handle it with your right foot, and then grab the defender in front.
He looked at it again and said, "Oh, right, right, you make sense." ”
It's just one example of his desire to learn. When you hear that, you can say he's going to get to the top. Although he hadn't arrived yet, it was fast.
England vs Belgium, Lukaku speaks before the game.
Mourinho knew it
I've heard Lukaku say that the determination to win is the most important thing he's learned from me, and that's become an important part of him as a player.
Like I've always said, you've reached 70% of your potential, but you still need to play 100% to win the game.
Partly depends on your attitude. For me, there's always a difference between joking around in the locker room and joking among my teammates, and the moments I get out of the pitch.
I've known Jose Mourinho well since chelsea and I can see why he can make Romelu Lukaku shine at Old Trafford.
When Jose signed Romelu Lukaku for Manchester United last year, Jose understood the boy had grown into a man. He is mature and ready to play for a big club like Manchester United.
Lukaku is still challenging, for example, to score more goals for United than 27 goals last season, such as winning the Golden Boot at this World Cup.
With Lukaku in such a state, Belgium have a chance to win the title, which is one of the reasons why I supported them to play well in this tournament.