As Inter Milan’s biggest game for a decade approaches, the club’s fans can’t stop singing the praises of their dashing number 9, Romelu Lukaku.
As their main man notched another brace to take the Nerazzurri into the Europa League Tinpot Runners Up Consolation Final, the jubilant supporters who weren’t there were probably in bars around the city singing their favourite Romelu refrain.
“I CAN’T HEAR YOU.”
With all the sparkling wit and humour that Italians are so famous for – and to the tune of Prodigy’s Firestarter – they might have throatily chorused…
FIRESTARTER
“We like Lukaku. Look!
Lukaku looks like scoring
Look!
Lukaku licks lackadaisical lackeys
Luka, luka – ku”
Obviously, the fact that there is actually no letter ‘K’ in the Italian alphabet means the song makes even less sense to them.
But the Milanese taking the bullish Belgian to their hearts is huge testament to how Italian football has changed, learning to deal with the letter ‘K’
Only 15 years ago, the other side of the San Siro had real difficulty accepting Kaka – twice – and, famously of course, the surprise transfer to 1970s Hamburg was in reality a distant second choice after a multi-million contract at Roma was dropped because their President simply could not get his tongue round Kevin Keegan.
Meanwhile, here in the UK, Lukaku’s Milan record of 33 goals in 50 games has caused TV pundits Paul Ince, Roy Keane and Rio Ferdinand to ask the question: “Why the f*@k can’t the Red Devils sign someone like Lukaku at Old Trafford?”
