His view of the young Romelu Lukaku
Its sporting character, but also human. I will never forget this exceptional being. He will remain forever engraved in my mind and in my heart. As soon as he comes back to greet us in Neerpede during the international breaks, we fall into each other’s arms. Naturally, as if we had never left each other. Rom’ is a beast with a big heart. Impressive on the outside, but extremely sensitive on the inside. When we meet again, it’s as if he hadn’t yet achieved anything in his career. It is incredibly simple. As if he was eternally grateful. Romelu never forgets and does not believe himself superior. Do you know a lot of them, stars like him who would modestly return to eat a sandwich at his favorite snack bar at Parc Astrid during each Red Devils gathering? When, a few years ago, Lukaku told in an open-hearted interview that his mother had to add water to the milk and “borrow” bread from the baker to be able to feed him, I felt even more respect for him. Rom’s one of those who will never forget where they come from. This difficult childhood shaped his character. From there, pushing it to its limits is not difficult. I ask him for aerobic work (endurance) and he is the first in the pack with a K-Way to sweat; the number of kilometers is not an obstacle for him. In anaerobic (resistance), while performing hill sets over 30 meters, he manages to finish first in each repetition. In the gym, in bodybuilding (strength), he wants the bench press record… with 100 kilos, he still holds this record today! Romelu never complains, unlike many others. While, football-wise, he is less gifted than his friends, he compensates with his physique and his extraordinary will. I have seen a lot of gifted people pass through Neerpede who would not have ruined their careers if they had had a tenth of Lukaku’s rage to win! Ten years after his arrival at Anderlecht, he exploded at Manchester United. With stats, but also giant measurements. At the time, already, the size of “Beast Rom” showed 47.5 and weighed 96 kilos for 1.91 meters. Chest size? 118cm. Waistline? 96 cm. Bicep size? 39 cm. All this with a fat content of no more than 8% and a top speed of 35 km/h. The character, the performances and the heart of Romelu Lukaku are like his outfit: XXL.
How he changed Dendoncker’s race
That year, Jean Kindermans asked me to work individually and more specifically with two players: Leander Dendoncker, who is with René Peeters’ U19s, and Charly Musonda Junior, who is with Roel Clement’s U17s. It was during lunchtime, on the grounds of the Sint-Niklaasinstituut, that I met them with a few others for running technique sessions. Leander runs like a real “robot”, without being able to separate his upper body from his lower body, but he is very good at endurance. Educational sessions and fundamental work are on the menu of these daily training sessions. Even if his progress is slow, Leander never fails to remind me, when I meet him: “You see, Hubert, I have good faces”, referring to one of my favorite expressions when talking about his legs.
More info: the book is available from Wednesday in all good bookstores (editions Racine, €22.50)
