Could Chelsea regret selling Romelu Lukaku to Everton this summer…
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Chelsea’s sale of Romelu Lukaku has received a mixed reaction from fans of the club, many of whom have voiced their discontent over the Blues allowing one of the best young striking talents in Europe to leave.
The 21-year-old has scored 32 Premier League goals during the last two seasons for West Brom and Everton respectively, and has attracted interest from a whole host of clubs from around the continent.
Despite his success, Chelsea have only allowed Lukaku ten Premier League appearances since he joined the club from Anderlecht in 2011, and following the return of Didier Drogba, Blues boss Jose Mourinho has deemed the Belgian international surplus to requirements.
While the Stamford Bridge side will make a healthy profit following their £28m sale of a striker who never managed to score a goal for them, there is one huge statistic that suggests the Blues may have made a mistake.
The following is a list of some of the top European strikers, and the number of league goals they scored before the age of 21. Flick through the pages, and see where Lukaku ranks:
14) Radamel Falcao (10 goals)
The AS Monaco and Colombia star began his career with Lanceros Boyacá and River Plate before getting his big break with Porton in 2009.
13) Cristiano Ronaldo (15 goals)
The Real Madrid star may be one of the best players ever, but his humble beginnings at Sporting Lisbon saw him make only a steady start to his career.
12) Robin van Persie (15 goals)
Before his exploits for Manchester United and Arsenal, RVP was far from a consistent goalscorer for Feyenoord.
11) Diego Costa (21 goals)
The 25-year-old endured a slow start to his Atletico Madrid career, undertaking several loan spells at the likes of Rayo Vallecano before becoming one of Europe’s stand-out players.
10) Zlatan Ibrahimovich (24 goals)
The iconic Swede did not really hit his stride until he left his native Malmo for Ajax in 2001.
9) Samuel Eto’o (25 goals)
The former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Barcelona star began his career at Real Madrid, and failed to truly make his mark until joining Real Mallorca in 2000.
8) Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (26 goals)
The Dutch international first made headlines with an impressive loan spell at AGOVV Apeldoorn, before further success in the Eredivisie.
7) Mario Balotelli (26 goals)
The controversial Italian enjoyed a successful spell with Inter Milan before making the move to Manchester City, and then AC Milan.
6) Luis Suarez (28 goals)
The former Liverpool star became a regular goalscorer when he joined Ajax in 2007, and hasn’t stopped scoring ever since.
5) Lionel Messi (42 goals)
The already legendary Barcelona and Argentina star has scored for fun throughout his career, but not always to the degree that he does now.
4) Wayne Rooney (44 goals)
The England star burst onto the scene as a teenager with Everton, before his big-money move to Manchester United saw him continue his goal-scoring prowess.
3) Neymar (54 goals)
Brazil’s golden boy enjoyed a fruitful spell with his native Santos before eventually leaving the club for Barcelona last summer.
2) Sergio Aguero (65 goals)
The Argentine striker has been a regular scorer throughout his career, netting plenty of goals for Independiente and Atletico Madrid before joining Manchester City.
1) Romelu Lukaku (65 goals)
Aguero’s goal tally is matched by Lukaku, who has also surpassed the likes of Suarez, Messi and Ronaldo. Have Everton struck a huge bargain by securing the Belgian’s long-term future.
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