How Romelu Lukaku’s record compares to modern goalscoring greats at 24
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Aged just 24, Romelu Lukaku is on the verge of completing a near world record move from Everton to Manchester United.
This comes off the back of Lukaku having his best ever season in terms of goalscoring, where he bagged an impressive 26 goals in 39 games for Everton. That gives the Belgian an impressive 87 goals in 166 games for The Toffees. That’s an impressive record.
Even more impressive is that Lukaku’s career goal tally at club level is 145 in 317 games. And when you add in his 20 goals in 57 games for Belgium things get even more impressive. Despite being just 24 he is closing in on 400 career games and 200 career goals, a truly impressive achievement.
Romelu Lukaku
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Turned 24 in: 2016/17
Career games that season: 374
Career goals that season: 165
Career Trophies that season: 2009/10 Belgian Pro League
Lukaku’s numbers at 24 are impressive, as are his achievements. Though he has only won the Belgian Pro League one, he actually helped Anderlecht finish top twice. In 2010/11 Lukaku scored an 83rd minute winner against Gent to take his side above Genk, but in the Championship Playoff (that exists, for some reason) Genk actually managed to finish top.
Still, Lukaku has been quality for club and country over a number of years. To his credit he didn’t sit on the bench at Chelsea collecting honours as a sub, he fought for a move to a lower club (Everton) and proved his worth their. That bullish ethos has led him back to the top with Manchester United, but where do his goals and achievements rank against other iconic strikers of the modern era?
Leo Messi
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Turned 24 in: 2010/11
Career games that season: 446
Career goals that season: 253
Career Trophies that season: La Liga (5), UEFA Champions League (3), Supercopa de España (4), Copa del Rey (2), 2008 Olympic Gold Medal, 2009 UEFA Super Cup, 2009 FIFA Club World Cup
The greatest player in the world was just coming into his goalscoring peak as he turned 24. Having just won his third successive Liga title and his second Champions League in three years, he was right in the heart of the Pep era and had played (72) more, scored (88) more and won much more than Lukaku.
Ronaldo
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Turned 24 in: 2000/01
Career games that season: 290
Career goals that season: 233
Career Trophies that season: 1993 Copa do Brasil, 1994 FIFA World Cup, 1994 Campeonato Mineiro, 1996 KNVB Cup, 1996 Johan Cruijff-schaal, 1996 Summer Olympic Games Bronze Medal, 1996 Supercopa de España, 1997 Copa del Rey, Copa América (2), 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, 1997 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, 1998 UEFA Cup
Where to next but the greatest no. 9 of the modern era? When Ronaldo turned 24 he was right in the middle of a brutal injury period where he spent, essentially, two years out of the game – not playing at all in 2000/01. However his career to that point had been the stuff of dreams, winning things in three different countries as well as international tournaments for Brazil. Moreover he’d played 84 less games than Lukaku but scored 68 more goals.
Didier Drogba
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Turned 24 in: 2001/02
Career games that season: 83
Career goals that season: 18
Career Trophies that season: n/a
Lukaku has always said that Didier Drogba was his idol, but while Drogba was a late bloomer who turned out to be a colossus, but at the age of 24 there was absolutely no comparison between the two. Drogba was still playing for Le Mans and had never scored more than 7 goals in a season.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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Turned 24 in: 2005/06
Career games that season: 291
Career goals that season: 110
Career Trophies that season: 2001/02 KNVB Cup, Eredivisie (2), 2002 Johan Cruyff-schaal
Another late bloomer (well, sort of) Ibrahimovic was at Juve when he turned 24, in the process of winning his second consecutive Serie A title that would later be stripped from his club for various improprieties with match officials. He had less games and goals than Lukaku, but went on to achieve so much more after this season, giving Lukaku hope.
Wayne Rooney
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Turned 24 in: 2009/10
Career games that season: 427
Career goals that season: 174
Career Trophies that season: League Cup (2), Premier League (3), 2007 FA Community Shield, 2007/08 UEFA Champions League, 2008 FIFA Club World Cup
England’s talisman was dominant at 24, probably more dominant than he ever has been as a footballer. The 2009/10 season saw him emerge from Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow as Manchester United’s star striker and play in a wonderfully potent fashion that Lukaku would love to emulate (but avoid the injuries and health issues that plagued Rooney after this season). Rooney ended this season having played 53 more games than Lukaku, bagging 9 more goals in the process, not to mention a trophy haul that Lukaku would love to replicate as a Red Devil.
Luis Suárez
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Turned 24 in: 2010/11
Career games that season: 282
Career goals that season: 164
Career Trophies that season: 2005/06 Primera División, 2009/10 KNVB Cup, 2010/11 Eredivisie, 2011 Copa América
Luis Suárez, the roly poly dynamo of a striker, had just moved to Liverpool when he turned 24. He was mired in controversy over biting Ottman Bakkal (something he’d do twice more if you can believe it) but was a clearly brilliant footballer – having already helped win trophies for two clubs on different continents. He ended that season by helping Uruguay win their first Copa América for 16 years. Had played 92 games less than Lukaku but, impressively, had just one less goal.
Robert Lewandowski
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Turned 24 in: 2012/13
Career games that season: 343
Career goals that season: 170
Career Trophies that season: 2008/09 Polish Cup, 2009 Polish Super Cup, 2009/10 Ekstraklasa, Bundesliga (2), 2011/12 DFB-Pokal
Robert Lewandowski turned 24 at the start of 2012/13, which was the season when Borussia Dortmund flew just a bit too close to the sun and got their wings scorched by Bayern Munich. Still, at the time Lewandowski was the best striker in the Bundesliga, having helped Dortmund win it twice in a row, and was about to prove himself one of the best in the world. More goals than Lukaku in less games and with more trophies, Lewandowski was brilliant.
Thierry Henry
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Turned 24 in: 2001/02
Career games that season: 351
Career goals that season: 125
Career Trophies that season: 1996/97 Ligue 1, 1997 Trophée des Champions, 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, 2000 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament
Quite possibly the coolest forward the Premier League has ever seen. When he turned 24 Thierry Henry was at the start of a two year-stretch of bafflingly brilliant play where he was Arsenal’s best goalscorer, goal creator, dresser, talker, and probably manager if he had tried it. That said, he couldn’t match Lukaku’s appearance or goal numbers.
Cristiano Ronaldo
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Turned 24 in: 2008/09
Career games that season: 393
Career goals that season: 145
Career Trophies that season: 2002 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, 2003/04 FA Cup, League Cup (2), Premier League (3), 2007 FA Community Shield, 2007/08 UEFA Champions League, 2008 FIFA Club World Cup
While he has gone on to become one of the most prolific and dominant goalscorers in the history of the game, when he turned 24 Cristiano Ronaldo was in the middle of sulking his way through 2008/09 season after failing to get a move to Real Madrid the previous summer.
He can’t quite match Lukaku’s numbers but he comes close, and more impressively had been a key figure in Manchester United’s European Double the previous season. Cristiano moved club after the season he turned 24 and exploded into an all-time great goalscorer. Lukaku is moving club after the season he turned 24 and will be hoping to do the same.
Sergio Aguero
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Turned 24 in: 2011/12
Career games that season: 379
Career goals that season: 170
Career Trophies that season: 2008 Olympic Gold Medal, 2009/10 UEFA Europa League, 2010 UEFA Super Cup, 2011/12 Premier League, 2012 FA Community Shield
Sergio AGUERRROOOOOOOOOOO had an incredible record when he turned 24, which coincidentally was right after the greatest moment of his career where he scored the Title winning goal for Manchester City in stoppage time of the last day of the season. AGUERRROOOOOOOOOOO has more games, more goals and more trophies than Lukaku.
Gonzalo Higuain
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Turned 24 in: 2011/12
Career games that season: 291
Career goals that season: 134
Career Trophies that season: La Liga (3), Supercopa de España (2), 2010/11 Copa del Rey
The Argentine marksman turned 24 the year he helped Real Madrid win their third La Liga and first since the Pep Guardiola revolution. Higuain had slightly less goals and appearances when compared to Lukaku, but made up for it by being decisive in big, title-deciding games.
Michael Owen
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Turned 24 in: 2003/04
Career games that season: 363
Career goals that season: 186
Career Trophies that season: 2000/01 FA Cup, League Cup (2), 2001 FA Community Shield, 2000/01 UEFA Cup, 2001 UEFA Super Cup
Michael Owen was England and Liverpool’s great hope, and everything up to the age of 23 was just fine and dandy. His 24th year was actually when the injuries really began to slow him down. Still, he had been white hot to that point, playing slightly less games than Lukaku but bagging more goals and helping his club to greater success, including a cup treble in 2001.
Alan Shearer
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Turned 24 in: 1994/95
Career games that season: 302
Career goals that season: 141
Career Trophies that season: 1994/95 Premier League
When he turned 24, Alan Shearer was slap bang in the middle of one of the greatest seasons in his career. He scored 37 goals (a career high) but more importantly won his only trophy: the Premier League. Shearer was an established top division striker, although his appearance and goal tally were slightly below where Lukaku was at the same age.
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