I've Got Some Things to Say; Lukaku's heart-breaking story

Bengaluru, June 19: Romelu Lukaku made a rousing start to the 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign in Russia, netting twice in Belgium's 3-0 win over Panama in the Group G encounter at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi.

Both his goals came in the second half and were separated by just six minutes and his second goal in the 75th virtually sealed the match as a contest.

On the field everything looks hunky dory for the 25-year-old, but off the field, Belgium's all-time top scorer's life is not all that rosy .

In a post recently published on The Players Tribune, titled "I've Got Some Things to Say" Lukaku reveals that his greatest motivation was his poor upbringing and explains how he has allowed his challenges to push him forward rather than hold him back.

One of the most inspiring articles I have read in a long time. Seeing Romelu Lukaku in a new light now. Lesson for every kid out there - never stop dreaming, don’t worry when people make fun of you, just never give up. https://t.co/JzkSUiX71u

— Viren Rasquinha (@virenrasquinha) June 19, 2018

The Manchester United star, who is just one of just five players to have ever scored 50 goals in the Premier League before turning 23, shares how his family slept on the floor and went without electricity for weeks. His mother mixed milk with water in order to make their meals of bread and milk last longer.

"We were broke. Not just poor, but broke," he writes. "I knew we were struggling. But when she was mixing in water with the milk, I realized it was over, you know what I mean? This was our life."

That realisation made him determined to build a better life for himself and his family. "I didn't say a word. I didn't want her to stress. I just ate my lunch. But I swear to God, I made a promise to myself that day. It was like somebody snapped their fingers and woke me up. I knew exactly what I had to do, and what I was going to do," writes Lukaku. "I couldn't see my mother living like that. Nah, nah, nah. I couldn't have that."

This hit me in many places. A must read! https://t.co/hLszhf8UbP

— Bernard Avle (@benkoku) June 19, 2018

Lukaku played his first professional game 11 days after his 16th birthday and walked into the locker room wearing a "terrible tracksuit," unlike his team-mates who wore expensive suits.

He says he still faces racist questions regarding his Belgian status because of his Congolese heritage - despite the fact that he was born in Antwerp and grew up in Liege and Brussels.

"When things weren't going well, they were calling me Romelu Lukaku, the Belgian striker of Congolese descent," Lukakku writes in anger.

These challenges, he explains, were lessons in toughness that only made him a better athlete.

"People in football love to talk about mental strength. Well, I'm the strongest dude you're ever going to meet," he writes. "Because I remember sitting in the dark with my brother and my mom, saying our prayers, and thinking, believing, knowing ... it's going to happen."

(With inputs from Romelu Lukaku's post in The Player's Tribune).