(Lukaku) The story behind this trend in Social Media today
03-10-2026
Romelu Lukaku is trending because he scored for Belgium in a UEFA Nations League match against Turkey on October 2, 2026. Belgium won 3-0 at Sclessin. Kevin De Bruyne scored in the 10th and around the 59th–60th minutes; Lukaku, who came on as a substitute, made it 3-0 in the 76th minute from a Charles De Ketelaere cross, finishing from close range.That goal was his 94th for Belgium, one of the highest international totals among active European players, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo in that comparison and just ahead of Robert Lewandowski (who also scored a hat-trick for Poland the same day). The strike came in a game Belgium needed after a recent loss to France and a win over Italy.The spike sits on top of a longer meme cycle around him. For years, football social media has treated Lukaku as a polarizing figure: powerful and prolific in some spells, mocked in others for a heavy first touch, missed chances, and form swings. The nickname “Lakaka” grew out of a 2021 TikTok clip in which someone mispronounced his name; it stuck as shorthand for a bootleg, less clinical version of the striker and still recirculates in miss compilations and edits whenever he is in the news. Today’s posts mix the fresh goal and the record chase with that older banter.