Chelsea's on-loan striker Romelu Lukaku took his impressive international goal tally from 79 to 83 as he hit four for Belgium in the first 37 minutes of a 5-0 win over Azerbaijan on Sunday.
The 30-year-old, who is currently on a season-long loan at Roma, opened the scoring after 17 minutes of the teams' Euro 2024 qualifier and completed his hat-trick within the opening half hour in Brussels.
And the former Everton and Manchester United forward made it 4-0 with just 37 minutes on the clock as he burst through the Azerbaijan defence and powered home with his right foot.
The visitors must have feared a hiding at that point, but the second half was much more even and Belgium did not score again until the 90th minute, when Arsenal's Leandro Trossard rounded off a big win for the Red Devils.
Lukaku has now scored 15 goals in just nine appearances for his country in 2023 and he has an amazing 83 overall in 113 international games.
Romelu Lukaku heard France scored 14 last night and decided to try for 15 all by himself 😂That's 4 inside 37 minutes for the Belgium striker 🤯#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/QbMapu3vDDNovember 19, 2023
Recently received by around 40,000 whistles from Inter fans on his return to Milan, after he reportedly flirted with their rivals Juventus and AC Milan in the summer, Lukaku has nine goals in 14 games for Roma this term.
The forward's future remains up in the air as a return to Chelsea seems unlikely, especially now the Blues have found some form under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Lukaku is under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2026 and will be back at the west London club after his loan at Roma finishes at the end of this season.
Belgium had already qualified for Euro 2024 and earned top spot in their group after Sunday's win.
The Red Devils and Lukaku will be in London in late March for a friendly fixture against England at Wembley.
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Watch as Romelu Lukaku scores his first goal for Roma in the club's 7-0 win over Empoli.
Lukaku has been linked with a sensational Spurs switch as a replacement for Harry Kane.
Meanwhile, the Belgian was set to be targeted by 50,000 whistles from Inter fans on his return to Milan to face former club Inter.
