Read for 2 minutes11 Jul 2026 12:31 PM IST
A loss is a loss in any language, but Romelu Lukaku faced beautiful questions in 4 different languages after the 2-1 defeat against Spain.
The Belgian baritone answered questions in Spanish, English, Flemish and French. He speaks 8 languages fluently, he only learned Italian after joining Inter Milan in 2019.
ESPNmx He is reported to speak Flemish (Dutch-Belgian), French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Lingala and Swahili. The super forward of Congolese origin from Belgium comes from a country where bilingualism is common and almost all people speak 3-4 languages depending on the geography. He told the Birmingham Mail that he also understood German.
After joining West Brom in 2012, he said, “My parents brought me up in French and a lot of Anderlecht players spoke it too. This helped him communicate with Claudio Yacob, who didn’t speak much English. He appreciated the Black Country dialect in England, although he understood Steve Clarke’s Scottish language. He focused on Spanish at school and told BM, “My Spanish was always good and we had Brazilians at Anderlecht so I learned Portuguese. selected. Football has been a big part of my life but education has always been important to me.”
Duolingo says he grew up using Flemish (it’s just a dialect, he explained to the Birmingham Mail), Dutch and French which were common, as well as learning the Bantu language Lingala from his parents. Playing in those countries became English and Italian. “Learning the language of the team helps me play my best soccer,” he said.
Speaking to Sofoot, he said, “I went to school in Dutch, but at home my mother speaks Lingala and my father French. Before I came to England, I spoke English well, mainly because of American rap.”
His colleague Kevin De Bruyne speaks Dutch, French, English and German.
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Lukaku’s heritage sees him speak Swahili, NBC Philadelphia Reported.
They may have missed Friday’s knockout with injury to Yuri Tielemans, but Lukaku will continue to patiently answer all questions in defeat.
Incidentally, it was not a good day for the sport’s polyglots, as Novak Djokovic, who speaks 12 languages, also lost to the dual-lingual Janic Siner at Wimbledon.