Romelu Lukaku: Belgium fans laughed at me for joining West Brom
Former West Brom loanee Romelu Lukaku says that fans in his own country laughed at him when he moved to The Hawthorns from Chelsea.
The now-Manchester United striker made the move to Albion from Chelsea on a temporary basis in 2012, scoring 17 goals and notching seven assists during the season.
He rarely featured at Stamford Bridge, and was loaned out to Steve Clarke's side with little opportunity of first-team football behind the likes of Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Daniel Sturridge.
But in a revealing article penned by the Belgian in the Players' Tribune, he claimed that football fans in the European country laughed at him for joining the club.
"I don’t know why some people in my own country want to see me fail. I really don’t." he said.
"When I went to Chelsea and I wasn’t playing, I heard them laughing at me. When I got loaned out to West Brom, I heard them laughing at me."
"But it’s cool. Those people weren’t with me when we were pouring water in our cereal.
"If you weren’t with me when I had nothing, then you can’t really understand me."
Lukaku is currently at the World Cup in Russia with the Belgium squad, who are in Group G with England and open their tournament against Panama.
The powerful forward has been superb since leaving West Brom, scoring 87 goals in 166 appearances for Everton before moving to Manchester United last season, where he's scored 27 goals in 51 showings.
