Romelu Lukaku says only Brazilian hero Ronaldo gets 10/10 but Everton striker believes he has made his mark this season
- Romelu Lukaku is modest in assessing his performance against Chelsea
- Everton striker scored twice to eliminate his former side from the FA Cup
- Lukaku is keen for Champions League football but is loyal to Everton
- Belgian says Toffees showed faith in him when nobody else would
- Lukaku is looking to haunt Arsenal again on Saturday afternoon
Romelu Lukaku thinks deeply about the question. He is analysing his demolition of Chelsea and has been asked to give his efforts a mark out of 10.
â€?Eight,’ is his first reaction to a display that saw him bully Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic and score two goals, one of which was a remarkable solo effort in the FA Cup quarter-final last Saturday.Â
�Maybe 8.5. I wouldn’t give myself more. In the first half the build-up was good but clear-cut chances were not there.
Romelu Lukaku poses for a photo at Everton's Finch Farm training ground before facing Arsenal
Lukaku scored twice in Everton's FA Cup quarter-final with Chelsea to knock his former club out
But the Belgian striker said his performance did not warrant a 10 out of 10, scoring himself an 8.5
�I’d give myself a few nines this season. Southampton away, Liverpool and Sunderland at home. Manchester City in the League Cup? No. I was absolute rubbish. I scored but lost too many balls. There has never been a 10.’
A maximum score, he says, is the kind of performance his idol, Brazil legend Ronaldo, would produce. He talks with wonder about how he changed the art of forward play with his ability to �dribble like a winger and run like a sprinter’ with ox-like strength.
Lukaku longs to be at such a level and his desire has paid off over the past 12 months, his haul of 25 goals the best in a campaign by an Everton striker since Gary Lineker in 1985-86.
Lukaku reserves full marks for his hero Ronaldo, a man he says changed the art of forward play
The Toffees striker longs to reach the heights of his Idol but Everton currently lie 12th in the Premier League
The 23-year-old blasts the ball past Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Cortois after a sensational solo run
It is impossible not to be struck by the ambition of the charismatic Belgian, who will be aiming to trample over Arsenal’s faint title hopes on Saturday lunchtime. It is also obvious that his progress is not running in sync with his team’s.
He is one of the best strikers in Europe but Everton, for all the talent in Roberto Martinez’s squad, are stuck in 12th after winning three of their last 10 Premier League games.
More honesty follows when he is asked to assess this campaign. �Everybody has improved,’ he replies.
�But results? It’s been two years of underperforming. As bad as it sounds, it’s the truth. Look at the players we have.
'We have 10 games to go, the semi-final of the FA Cup… Let’s go for it, boys. We need to start winning.Everyone gives stick to the manager, but it is the players that do the job on the pitch.
'I am not the captain, I am not going to say “do thisâ€, “do that†— I just try to lead by example, give my maximum, try to score as many goals as I can, then the rest goes from there.’
Lukaku wants Champions League football but says he will only leave if the deal is right for Everton
Everton boss Roberto Martinez congratulates Lukaku after his brace against his former club
So what happens if the erratic results persist? Lukaku has Champions League ability and Champions League clubs, such as Paris Saint-Germain, will seriously consider making a bid this summer. �I am 23 soon,’ says Lukaku. �I’ve been playing since I was 16 and never had a taste of the Champions League. It is going to be seven years. Champions League football is the next step, but I am not really thinking about it.
�If something happens, it will be for the good of the club. I don’t want to leave in a fight — if it happens. I won’t say this or that. Everton were the ones who believed in me at the time nobody believed in me, and gave me a platform to perform.
�I have tried to repay them with good performances and I have an agent who deals with the interest. But the talk will be between me and the manager. We have an open relationship. I will be honest enough with him to say what I think.
Lukaku believes Everton should 'at least' be in the top four with the quality in their squad
Lukaku scored in a 3-0 win over Arsenal in 2014 and his hoping to repeat the trick on Saturday
'We have 10 games to go and I will do everything to take my team to glory. With all the qualities that we have, we should at least have been in the top four this year because of how the league is. I am always looking for more. The club thinks that way as well. I will always put the team first.’
Finally we are back at the start and, once again, Lukaku is reflecting on the slaloming run that took him past four Chelsea defenders and carried Everton to the Wembley semi-final. When was the last time he scored one as good?
�I have to think,’ he says, shaking his head. �It’s 130 goals… I have to think. For Belgium? No…. Well, I’ve got it. It’s going to be funny as well. Arsenal.’
He is talking about a game at Goodison in April 2014, which Everton won 3-0. At the end of an awful week, Lukaku is the striker Arsene Wenger wants to see least. Evertonians, by contrast, can’t wait to see his quest for perfection continue.
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