Former Preston North End striker David Healy has lost his European Championship qualifying record at the hands of Romelu Lukaku.
PNE fans of a certain age will remember the buzz from signing David Healy.
North End set a new transfer record by signing Healy from Manchester United, paying £1.5million rising to £1.8million.
Healy made an instant impact, scoring on his debut against Sheffield United.
The Northern Irishman racked up more than 150 appearances for PNE, scoring 45 goals along the way.
Healy ended up becoming a villain in the eyes of many PNE supporters due to his 2004 move to Leeds United.
Healy appeared to wave to Leeds fans at Elland Road as North End lost 1-0 with speculation surrounding his potential move to Yorkshire.
Leeds completed the move and Healy then celebrated in front of the Alan Kelly Town End upon his first return to Deepdale, scoring twice in a 4-2 Leeds win.
David Healy’s European Championship qualifying record gone
Healy went on to play for the likes of Fulham, Sunderland, Ipswich Town and Rangers before a return to North End was floated.
Graham Westley decided against a deal, realising that bringing Healy back could divide the fanbase.
Healy has since gone into management, winning five league titles in charge of Linfield in his native Northern Ireland.
Just a few years after leaving PNE, Healy set a European Championship qualifying record.
The striker smashed 13 goals for Northern Ireland in qualifying for Euro 2008, setting a record for the most goals scored in a Euro qualifying campaign.
Robert Lewandowski matched that number in 2016 but Healy’s record has now gone.
Romelu Lukaku scored four goals in a 5-0 win over Azerbaijan on Sunday, taking his tally for the campaign to 14.
Healy’s record stood for more than 15 years but the Roma hitman has now blown it away in style.
Some North End fans may still have a sense of schadenfreude over this, maybe still holding something against Healy nearly 20 years since his acrimonious exit.
That his record stood for so long shows what a quality player Healy was though, and it’s a shame his relationship with the fanbase soured to the point where a potential return was kiboshed.