Growing up, former Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku faced many age-cheating accusations. Here is how his mother dealt with the claims made against her son.
The Belgium international was always bigger and stronger than the other kids in his age group, which led many to believe he might have been older than his birth certificate claimed.
Being physically larger than his teammates and opponents as a youngster unjustly caused him issues, which would often involve other kids' parents complaining that he is playing in the wrong age group.
Not only was Lukaku taller than other kids his age, but he would score a lot of goals at youth level, and that was what had other parents furious.
In 2017, the Inter Milan forward's agent Mino Raiola claimed that Lukaku's mom started attending his matches with his birth certificate in her hand.
"For Lukaku, this has always been a problem. I was talking to his mother. Eventually she went to youth matches with his birth certificate," he said, according to Swedish newspaper Expressen.
"She always ended up with other parents who did not think he was 12 or 14 years old. It was always a fuss that he scored three or four goals. He was bigger and physically strong, yes.
"But they screamed that it was not in the right age. So she took the birth certificate. He was born in Belgium, but they spread false reports he been born in Africa. 'Here it is', she said."
Lukaku, now 27, is Belgium's record goalscorer with 52 goals in 84 games, and has struck 210 senior club goals in his career so far.
