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Arsenal legend Thierry Henry recently lauded Inter striker Romelu Lukaku, on loan from Chelsea, for bouncing back from a poor 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign that saw Belgium get knocked out in the group stage.
Lukaku is part of the Inter side that have qualified for the Champions League final, beating local rivals AC Milan 3-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
Henry heaped praise on the Belgian after the Nerrazurri's second-leg win and credited him for rising up after the disappointment in Qatar last year. The Frenchman was part of the Belgium coaching staff for the World Cup and observed Lukaku from close quarters.
After Inter's 1-0 second-leg win over Milan, Henry said on CBS Sports:
"He was a pain in the you know what, but in a good way. I was the same. It's always for the good of the team. Always try to challenge everybody. At times he's very critical of himself and that can bring him down sometimes, because he can't see the positive side of it.
"Why I am happy with him is that after the World Cup it wasn't easy. But he came back and it's the first time I saw him like that against proper adversity when he's slowly but surely coming back and showing he can deliver no matter what - even when everyone is against him.
"That's a sign of greatness. Hopefully, whoever you meet in the final, you can have a good game and you guys can hopefully win it and I will be happy for you."
Currently on loan from Chelsea, Lukaku has scored 12 goals and provided six assists in 32 matches this term, including three in the Champions League.
"Tough coaches who tell me the real things I want to hear" - Romelu Lukaku on Thierry Henry
Romelu Lukaku was asked on CBS Sports about how Henry has helped him over the course of his career. The Frenchman spent two years with the Belgium national team as an assistant coach between 2016 and 2018 as well.
Lukaku said:
"[Thierry is] very, very old school and strict. When we met I was at Everton, I think it was my last season. I told him 'you know what, I want to hear it from you. Give me the business. What can I do better?'
"We sat together every day for that training camp. Eight days, two hours - watching every game and every clip... 'There your touch was bad, there you did well'. It was always half-and-half. And I had my best year in the Premier League that year. And then with the national side I started scoring every game. I'm very grateful to him - he still does it today.
"I like it. Tough coaches who tell me the real things I want to hear. You don't want to be pampered all the time, I think. The World Cup was very tough for me. For the first time in 15 years playing football I went through a moment like this. I let my country down. Playing for your country is amazing and when you play at the World Cup you want to make the best of it.
"Because we all knew as players and staff that this was our last chance. And to go out in the way we did... I took everything into my mind when I left camp and I really felt down."
There is little clarity over whether Lukaku will return to Chelsea after his loan spell with Inter or if the Italian giants will sign him on a permanent basis.
