The former Blues midfielder has compared Romelu Lukaku’s role in the squad to that of his old teammate Didier Drogba.
Joe Cole reckons Romelu Lukaku’s leadership qualities are similar to Didier Drogba’s when the Ivorian played for Chelsea.
Drogba is a renowned Stamford Bridge legend, and a player Lukaku idolized in his youth. The former striker scored 164 goals in 381 games and won four Premier League titles, as well as the Champions League itself in 2012.
He also briefly played alongside a young Lukaku during the Belgian’s first spell at Chelsea. The pair formed a close bond in their time together. In fact, Drogba has claimed Lukaku ‘is like a son to me’ in the past.
“For sure, they are similar,” Cole told Goal. “It’s not just what he brings on the pitch, either. I think Lukaku has learned a lot from Didier in terms of his presence off the pitch. By all accounts, he is a bit of a leader in the dressing room, and that’s Didier.
“Didier was a born leader, a real man’s man. Everyone loved him. We talk about [John] Terry and [Frank] Lampard being leaders in that dressing room, but Drogba was every bit as much a leader as them.
“Lukaku is of that ilk. He’s got a little way to go before he can be put in that bracket, for me, but he’s certainly got the ability to get there. And he’s got a great mindset, a bit of fire in his belly because he wants to prove himself at Chelsea the second time around.”
Since rejoining Chelsea in the summer for a club-record €115 million fee, Lukaku has scored three goals in as many games. He hopes to add to his tally in the Champions League opener against Zenit on Tuesday.
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