He decides when he speaks
His presence had indeed been suggested on one occasion or the other, before being canceled by a federation which bends to the will of a player often put forward in the past, less now. His last press conference, in selection, dates back a good year now, when he came before Austria – Belgium, in mid-October.
He had digested his transfer to AS Roma, delivered a few barbs – “I heard a lot of bullshit about me […]. One day I will tell the truth, others will have to accept it too.” – but above all he began his media meeting with this sentence, which sums up his influence: “I had to speak at the right time, it’s good to speak now.”
Captain in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne, he therefore did not satisfy the tradition, which is not an obligation, and the nuance is important, during the gatherings which followed. A bit like Vincent Kompany once did, it is he who dictates his media tempo. This Wednesday, it was not yet the time, therefore, to speak before the reception of Italy, to discuss his return to the selection and some of his comments, in particular on a youth who is not hungry enough – “I don’t feel concerned”swept away Amadou Onana.
In an environment where communication has become as important as sporting performance, Lukaku has created both expectations and a form of criticism. The wait since he is an executive, the leader of the Devils, and he rarely speaks to say nothing; criticism because he is, in a certain way, fleeing his responsibilities and dodging debate.
