Belgium manager Roberto Martinez says Romelu Lukaku’s transfer to Inter and Serie A was ‘the perfect move’ that helped make him ‘the best striker in the world.’
They play the Round of 16 against Portugal, and the winners of that tie will go on to face either Italy or Austria in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals.
Lukaku has gone from strength to strength since moving to Inter, developing as a player and winning the Serie A title.
“With Romelu, we always talk about his individual talent. He was born with this capacity for scoring goals and if you look, his stats reflect it. The number of goals he’s scored for every team is quite exceptional,” Martinez told ESPN.
“What we’re talking about now, however, is a different player. Now we’re talking about a player that, on top of his individual talent, has a real degree of maturity.
“I know him well because I signed him for Everton at the age of 19, but these days he’s a completely different human being and a different footballer. He can affect others.
“You can almost set different ways of pressing, different ways of playing, and he will execute them perfectly. And that has probably been the difference that I’ve seen in the last 12 to 13 months, and maybe a little bit longer.
“Going to Inter was the perfect move, at the perfect time, with a perfect coach, with a perfect dream of winning the Serie A title, and I think that has developed Lukaku to a level that is, for me, the best in his career.”
Martinez also called Lukaku currently “the best striker in the world” and one who is always willing to listen to constructive criticism.
When asked to pick a team that impressed him at Euro 2020, the Belgium coach pointed to Italy.
“Roberto Mancini has been working long enough with this team and you can see that they work like a club team.
“Now, we’re going to find out more about every team. There is going to be a lot of twists and turns. There is going to be big performances and low performances depending on where you play, if you’re in a neutral venue or in front of your fans. I think we are going to get a very inconsistent tournament from this point on.
“England, for me, are still the big favourites. They are playing every game at home. You know that when the games are tight in the knockout phase, it’s a big advantage to play at home.
“After that, on the day, a lot of small factors will be decisive in deciding the game. I don’t think this is a tournament that you can predict. I think that it is a tournament where you need to see which team is more prepared to expect the unexpected and for that reason, I think, it’s very difficult to call.”