Pardi Who? What We Know About Megan Thee Stallion's Alleged Soccer Star Bae Romelu Lukaku
Could a new romance be brewing for Megan Thee Stallion?
The rapper's dating life took center stage recently after she was captured on various occasions sharing intimate moments with Belgian soccer player Romelu Lukaku as the pair attended a wedding for his close friend and teammate Lautaro Martinez in Lake Como, Italy.
During the event, which occurred over Memorial Day weekend, Megan and Romelu were spotted getting close and holding hands. Although neither party commented on the recent images, it sent shockwaves on social media as it circulated online because many assumed that the "Her" emcee was still dating her longtime partner Pardison "Pardi" Fontaine.
\u201cFound another video of Lukaku and Megan Thee Stallion at Lautaro's wedding \ud83e\udee1\u201d— Lili \ud83d\udd2e\u2728\ufe0f (@Lili \ud83d\udd2e\u2728\ufe0f) 1685398844
Megan and Pardison have been together for over two years. Rumors about a supposed split arose in early 2023 when the "Savage" lyricist allegedly unfollowed Pardison on Instagram. To date, Megan and Pardison have seemingly wiped all posts of one another on their respective Instagram pages and have yet to confirm their split.
In light of Megan's new alleged romance with Romelu, xoNecole digs deep into the 30-year-old's life and shares a few facts many may not know about the soccer star.
Who Is Romelu Lukaku?
Romelu, who is Belgian and Congolese, has played soccer professionally since 2009 and is currently a forward for the Belgium national team and Inter Milian.
Earlier this month, Megan appeared to have attended one of his games after uploading a photo dump on Instagram. On May 2, while informing her fans about what she has been up to, including sightseeing and shopping, Megan shared an image of a soccer field.
Romelu Comes From A Family Of Athletes
Romelu's passion for soccer began early on due to his family's background. The star's father, Roger Lukaku, is a former soccer player and participated in numerous Belgium clubs as a forward before retiring in 2007. In addition to his father, Romelu's younger brother Jordan Lukaku and cousin Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo are also professional soccer players.
The last team Jordan played for was SD Ponferradina. At the same time, Boli is a defender for KV Mechelen.
Romelu Lukaku Was One Of The First Big Premier League Players To Sign To Roc Nation Sports
\u201cJUST IN: Jay Z\u2019s Roc Nation Sports has signed their first big Premier League player: Manchester United\u2019s @RomeluLukaku9. Joins @JB17Official as soccer clients.\u201d— Darren Rovell (@Darren Rovell) 1524139645
Although there are limited details of how Romelu and Megan may have met, many could assume it's due to their Roc Nation connection.
In 2018, the father of two made headlines after signing with Roc Nation Sports. The commotion mainly occurred because Romelu was one of the first big premier league players to sign with the company. A year later, Megan joined the Roc Nation team.
Romelu Starred On Reality Television As A Teen
Prior to his success on the soccer field, a teenage Romelu and his classmates starred in a reality television seriesDe School Van Lukaku, for the Dutch Network Eén.
The show followed the students' lives as they dealt with various struggles, including love and friendship, while attending Saint-Guidon Institute in Brussels. During that time, Romelu was playing for the Anderlecht youth team.
Romelu Stands Up For Racism
Over the years, Romelu has showcased he isn't afraid to fight for what is right. In 2021, during an interview withCNN, the star disclosed why he felt taking a knee before the start of the game in protest of police brutality and racism wasn't enough.
Romelu told the news outlet that even with the particular gesture, it wouldn't stop others from treating people like himself or his family poorly. Romelu went on to add that he would continue to fight this battle head-on because it needs to be done to create a change for the future generation.
"I think we can take stronger positions, basically. Yeah, we are taking the knee, but in the end, everybody's clapping but… sometimes after the game, you see another insult. I have to fight, because I'm not fighting only for myself. I'm fighting for my son, for my future kids, for my brother, for all of the other players and their kids, you know, for everybody," he said.
Toward the end of the conversation, Romelu shared that the game of soccer, also known as fútbol in other countries, should be an "enjoyable" experience for all and not a place where people feel unsafe due to the "opinion from some uneducated people."
"At the end of the day, fútbol should be an enjoyable game… You cannot kill the game by discrimination. That should never happen," he stated. "Fútbol is joy, it's happiness, and it shouldn't be a place where you feel unsafe because of the opinion from some uneducated people."
Romelu's Past Relationship With The Mother Of His Child
Before dating rumors between Romelu and Megan went rampant online, the soccer star was romantically linked to Belgium model and entrepreneur Sarah Mens.
News outlets are reporting that Romelu and Sarah met in 2016 while she was interning in Miami. Following their brief encounter, the pair would ultimately become a couple. Romelu and Sarah, who share a son Romeo Lukaku, reportedly dated for five years before calling it quits in 2021. Years following their breakup, Romelu would welcome another son Jordan Lukaku with an unidentified woman.
Despite the limited information about Megan and Romelu's alleged new romance, one thing is for sure it will indeed be a hot girl summer for the rapper.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image by Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for CMT
Black women are not a monolith. We all are deserving of healing and wholeness despite what we've been through, how much money we have in the bank, or what we look like. Most importantly, we are enough—even when we are not working, earning, or serving.
Welcome to Black Girl Whole, your space to find the wellness routine that aligns with you! This brand-new marketplace by xoNecole is a safe space for Black women to activate their healing, find the inspiration to rest, and receive reassurance that we are one small act away from finding our happiness.
Want to discover where you are on your wellness journey? You don't have to look far. In partnership with European Wax Center, we're bringing you a customized wellness quiz to help you up your wellness game. Answer our short series of questions to figure out which type of wellness lover you are, what you need to bring more balance into your life, and then go deeper by shopping products geared towards clearing your mind, healing your body, and soothing your spirit.
Ready to get whole? Take our quiz now!
Sabrina Elba On Wanting To Be Known As More Than Just Idris Elba’s Wife
Model, entrepreneur, and humanitarian Sabrina Dhowre Elba is opening up about the importance of preserving her identity following her marriage to actor Idris Elba.
The pair has been together since 2017 following a chance encounter at a jazz club in Vancouver. At the time, Idris was in town filming Mountain Between Us and decided to check out the club while Sabrina was out celebrating a friend's birthday.
That same year, Idris and Sabrina made their debut as a couple by attending a film premiere. As their bond progressed, Idris and Sabrina would showcase more about their lives by going to more events, publicly speaking about one another, and sharing intimate moments on social media.
In 2019, the couple tied the knot in Morocco. Over the years, in addition to their romantic relationship, Idris and Sabrina have professionally collaborated on several projects, including their genderless skincare brand S'Able Labs, their Coupledom podcast, and their humanitarian work.
During a recent interview with The Break podcast, Sabrina revealed why she felt it was essential to maintain her identity even after marrying a high-profile celebrity and the struggles she faced during that process.
Sabrina Elba On Maintaining Her Identity After Marrying Idris
In the July discussion, the 35-year-old explained it was important for her to preserve her identity because she wanted to be seen as an equal regardless of being married to Idris.
"It was really important to me to maintain my own identity," she said. "Sometimes that can be hard when someone else's identity is so strong and so big, all the reasons why I love him for, his massive personality."
Further into the interview, Sabrina claimed that although she tried numerous ways to maintain her identity and her independence by speaking up about specific issues that were important to her and sharing various social media posts, it wasn't well received by some people.
"I'm still going through this discovery. I don't want to lose that and not be afraid to explore what that is because I heard early on, 'Why are you talking? You've just married someone [famous].' Or 'Why are you on [social media] posting?'" she stated while mentioning what inspired her to stand her ground.
"I was like, okay, let's not silence someone's voice. My mom always told me the most important thing you have in this world is your voice. I was like, I'm still going to talk about whatever I want to talk about. If I want to post a pair of shoes, I'm still going to post a pair of shoes. I'm not going to change my identity."
Sabrina On Her Past Struggles
When asked about the negative comments she’s received, Sabrina disclosed that it wasn't necessarily the remarks that rubbed her the wrong way but rather people's attitude toward her when she would talk about certain things and post online.
"It was almost the attitude towards me of there's no reason that you should be speaking up or talking about things you care about because you're only here because of him," she stated. "I remember thinking, you know what, that's your prerogative because I'm still going to say, talk and be whoever I want to be."
Despite the adverse reaction, Sabrina added that none of this made sense to her because she grew up in an African household where women could express themselves. However, with Idris' help and guidance, Sabrina revealed she found her voice while navigating through the storm.
"It didn't make sense to me because I grew up with such a strong woman. My mom was a strong African woman, no one would have taken that from her," she said. "I thought, let me just figure out what I want to say and who I am. I was going through this exploration, and Idris [was] just hand-holding because he's like really good at that. I feel like I've come now to a place where I can say I'm quite proud of who I've developed into over the past couple of years. "
Sabrina wrapped up her statement by saying she is now content with the person she has become and what she stands for.
"I maybe couldn't have said that like four years ago, maybe I was still going through that kind of journey. But now I feel quite settled and in a groove and quite good about who I am and the things that I have been able to speak on. That feels refreshing," she stated.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image by Victor Boyko/Getty Images for Global Citizen
