Lukaku tells how poverty fired World Cup dream

Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku realised how poor his family was when he saw his mother watering down the milk. The football talent he is showcasing at the World Cup was their passport out of poverty.

The Manchester United man has opened up about growing up in Antwerp and his resolution to ignore critics and have fun in Russia.

Lukaku started the tournament in spectacular style, scoring two goals against Panama for the Red Devils.

But he told sports website www.theplayerstribune.com that his determination to succeed was forged far from the glamour of football's biggest showpiece, in the gritty suburbs of Belgium's second largest city.

The child of Congolese immigrants, he recalled that his family were often short of food when he was a child and sometimes prayed in the dark because there was no money to pay for power in their apartment.

"We didn't have enough money to make it last the whole week. We were broke. Not just poor, but broke," he wrote.

"My father had been a pro footballer, but he was at the end of his career and the money was all gone."
- 'Angry... on a mission' -
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"I was on a mission. When I was 12, I scored 76 goals in 34 games."
"I'm going to remember to have fun this time," he said. "Life is too short for the stress and the drama. People can say whatever they want about our team and about me."