Ex Inter Milan Striker Admits ‘I Felt Bad For A Year’ After Champions League Final Vs Man City – Adds ‘Fans Don’t Know The Real Story’ | OneFootball

Former Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku says that he “felt bad for a year” after the 2023 Champions League final against Man City.

The 32-year-old Napoli striker spoke to Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews. He also claimed that Nerazzurri fans “don’t know the real story” about his fallout with his old club.

It would be fair to say that striker Romelu Lukaku has history with Inter Milan.

After spending two extremely successful seasons with the Nerazzurri between 2019 and 2021, the Belgian left to sign for Chelsea for a gargantuan transfer fee.

One year later, however, Lukaku made a shock return to Inter on loan from Chelsea.

After a mixed season back at the San Siro, with injuries playing a major role, Lukaku played as a substitute in the Champions League final at the end of the 2022-23 season.

The Belgian’s cameo appearance was an infamous one, however. A series of bad misses were painful for Inter as they chased a late equalizer.

Then, in the summer of 2023, Lukaku fell out with Inter after it came to light that he had been negotiating with Juventus at the same time they had been trying to sign him permanently from Chelsea.

Lukaku: “Felt Bad About Man City UCL Final Loss For A Year”

NAPLES, ITALY – FEBRUARY 09: Romelu Lukaku of Napoli during the Serie A match between Napoli and Udinese at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on February 09, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Lukaku admitted that “I felt very bad for a year, to be honest,” after that Champions League final defeat.

“You saw how things went…” he continued.

As far as the end of his relationship with Inter, Lukaku said that “I could say what I think.”

“I let people talk. Because I’m not someone who likes to attack through the press.”

“I prefer to react by letting my football do the talking,” The Belgian insisted.

“Now I’m just looking forward.”

As far as his exit from Inter, Lukaku said that “you saw certain things from the outside.”

“But if people don’t know the truth, it’s a different story.”

“They can’t understand why I made certain decisions,” Lukaku said. “In my career, every time I’ve told the truth it’s been seen as inconvenient.”

“And now I want to avoid controversy.”