Leonard Fournette has a pretty unusual stake in the United States’ next World Cup test.
As the U.S. men move on to a round of 16 meeting with Belgium on Monday Night after knocking off Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers star will be watching one player especially closely: Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, the man Fournette says looks enough like him to pass for a twin.
Fournette talked about that connection on SportsCenter, and he made it clear this is more than a passing resemblance. “Me and Melo man, we been friends since 2017, right, we both were signed with Roc Nation at the time.
And our relationship just grew from there,” Fournette told SportsCenter about his relationship with Lukaku. “Been my guy since, you know, we always keep in touch.
And recently, for the passing of his father, that's when I reached back out, just check on him every day, you know, you got to check on your friends, so we're good friends, I love him, I love what he's doing, and he has my support.”
The pair first crossed paths at Roc Nation, with Jay-Z present, and Fournette said it didn’t take long for them to realize how similar they looked.
That likeness has turned into one of the more amusing side stories of the tournament, but both men have also built serious reputations in their own lanes. Lukaku is a major figure for Belgium and across the soccer world, and he already delivered in this tournament by scoring Belgium’s first goal against Senegal in the round of 32.
Now he’ll line up against the United States, which will be without Folarin Balogun after his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina led to a suspension for the next match.
So while the U.S.-Belgium matchup carries plenty of weight on its own, Fournette’s connection to Lukaku adds a strange little twist. It’s not often a former NFL star gets a front-row seat to his own doppelganger chasing a spot among the world’s eight best soccer teams.
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