Romelu Lukaku has dedicated his goal for Napoli in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Hellas Verona in the Italian Serie A to his late father.
The former Manchester United forward has endured a very tough spell over the last few months and scored his first goal since May, sparking emotional scenes after the full time whistle.
The Belgian striker suffered a serious hamstring injury during preseason that has ruled him out for a large chunk of the campaign.
Saturday’s match was Lukaku’s fourth league appearance of the campaign and the most minutes he had featured in during any of the matches.
He pointed to the sky after scoring in the sixth minute of stoppage-time, dedicating the goal to his father who died in September 2025 aged 58.
“On a personal level soccer gives you a lot. It has given me everything but losing my father like I lost him weighs on me every day”, an emotional Lukaku said after the match.
“But it is what it is and I carry on for my daughters, for my brother and for Napoli which has given me so much.”
Napoli snatched their first win in four games across all competitions with a hard-fought 2-1 result at Hellas Verona.
Rasmus Hojlund opened the scoring inside two minutes with a looping header, but it was the Denmark international who deflected Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro’s effort into his own net in the 65th minute for the equalizer.
Lukaku came on and struck with the last kick of the game to snatch a crucial win for Napoli, ending their recent poor form.
“Because before arriving at Napoli I was dead. Last year we did something wonderful, this year is a bit difficult for us, but we have to look forwards and do everything to finish as high as possible in the table”, Lukaku added.
Napoli move to third on the standings with 53 points, but are 14 points behind league leaders Inter Milan with 11 games to go.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
