Kvaratskhelia and Serie A stars send messages to Lukaku after Napoli return: ‘The King’ | OneFootball

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Thibaut Courtois and Rasmus Hojlund are among the stars to have sent a message of congratulations to Napoli star Romelu Lukaku after his goalscoring return in Serie A over the weekend: ‘The King is back’.

Messages for Lukaku after goalscoring Napoli return

It has been a difficult season for ‘Big Rom’, who suffered a serious injury to his hamstring during Napoli’s final pre-season friendly of the summer, one week before the start of the 2025-26 Serie A season.

Belgium’s all-time leading goalscorer has only recently returned to competitive first-team action in the early stages of 2026 and scored his first goal of the season this weekend: A 97th-minute winner in a 2-1 victory over Hellas Verona. This was his first goal since the final day of the 2024-25 season, 283 days prior to the Verona victory.

CASTEL DI SANGRO, ITALY – AUGUST 14: Romelu Lkaku of Napoli lies on the pitch after being injured during the pre-season friendly match between Napoli and Olympiacos at Stadio Teofilo Patini on August 14, 2025 in Castel di Sangro, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images)

Lukaku celebrated on social media with a picture of his celebration and a picture of his late father, who died in September, along with the caption: ‘For you Papa’.

Several stars from Serie A and beyond have left comments to congratulate or encourage Lukaku following his return to action, including former Napoli teammate and current PSG star Kvaratskhelia, who wrote: “The King is back.”

VERONA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 28: Players of SSC Napoli celebrates after scoring his team second goal during the Serie A match between Hellas Verona FC and SSC Napoli at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on February 28, 2026 in Verona, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Most of Lukaku’s Napoli teammates have left comments as well, including Hojlund, Billy Gilmour, Alex Meret, Sam Beukema, Pasquale Mazzocchi and Miguel Gutierrez.

Belgium teammate Courtois is also among the stars to have sent a message to Lukaku.