Lukaku and Adriano, a Nerazzurri chat

MILAN – An uplifting chat full of laughter took place on Instagram this afternoon as Romelu Lukaku conversed with another great left-footed centre-forward who wore the Nerazzurri shirt: Adriano.

Lukaku has never shied away from admitting that Adriano has always been one of his idols ever since he was a child. And the Belgian, who proved to be an exceptional interviewer, certainly didn’t hide his emotions during his discussion with the Brazilian: memories and feelings were very much a part of it.

INTER, MILAN AND THE FANSAdriano kicked things off with a big smile on his face: “I’m pleased that you’ve taken my place at the heart of Inter’s attack. I’m happy for you and for Inter, I wish you the very best. Milan is a wonderful city and the fans always spur you on, everything really is fantastic.”

Lukaku: “Ever since I watched the final of the 1998 UEFA Cup, when Ronaldo was involved, I’ve always dreamed of playing for Inter. When there was the opportunity to come to Italy, I said right away that I wanted to come to Inter.”

THE YOUNG ADRIANO AND THE VERY YOUNG LUKAKUAdriano: “​​​​​​​When I arrived at Inter, I was 19 years old. I was nervous: it was a big opportunity, a dream. I was welcomed with open arms, I still remember to this day how I spent most of my time gazing at the fans rather than focusing on the match when I played at San Siro for the first time.”

Lukaku: “​​​​​​​When you played for Inter, I was young and remember everything perfectly. I lived in Belgium and we couldn’t afford a television. So I would wait until Saturday, when I would go to my uncle’s house. He had the internet and I would go on YouTube and watch all the videos of you. All of your goals were stuck in my head. I remember exactly how you scored during Brazil vs. Greece in the Confederations Cup with a powerful left-footed effort. I tried to repeat that strike from over 30 yards in every training session for two weeks.”

ADRIANO’S BEST GOAL AND MOST EMOTIONAL MOMENTAdriano: “​​​​​​​I’ll go for two: my free kick against Real Madrid in my first Nerazzurri appearance and my goal against Udinese after running the full length of the opposition’s half. Obviously, I will never forget the goal which led to our wildest celebrations: my stoppage-time header against Milan in the Derby in 2005 to secure a 3-2 win. What a spectacle!”

Lukaku: “​​​​​​​When it comes to your goals, I prefer your powerful shots from distance, like when you scored in the Coppa Italia final in Rome.”

PLAYING STYLES AND A PERFECT PAIRINGAdriano: “​​​​​​​Our playing styles are very similar. Despite this, we would have formed a perfect goalscoring pairing, a really powerful one. The important thing is to help each other out, because your teammates are the ones that help you improve and allow you to give your very best for the team. Our playing style is suited to Serie A. And we both possess great shooting power…”

Lukaku: “​​​​​​​For me, the team comes before myself. In every game, Lautaro and I support each other. I hope to leave my mark, just like you did on Inter’s history. Early on, I had to adjust to Serie A, it’s a very tactical league. However, Conte and his staff helped me out a lot and now I feel completely at ease.”

ATTACKING TEAMMATES AND ROMELU’S LINE-UP ON PES Adriano: “I played with many great players up front, like Vieri, Recoba, Martins and Ibrahimovic. When it comes to coaches, Prandelli helped me a lot in terms of understanding Italian football, while Mancini and Mourinho obviously can’t be forgotten. When I was at Inter, Massimo Moratti always showed me great affection. I’m happy that the Zhang family are involved with Inter now, they’re working hard for the good of the Club.”

Lukaku: “​​​​​​​Adriano-Martins was always the front pairing I went with on PES. My midfield consisted of Stankovic, Veron, Cambiasso and Recoba with Adriano and Martins up top. I was unbeatable.”