Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku said he should not even feature in the World Cup after an injury-plagued season but is determined to contribute in any way he can as the Red Devils’ record goalscorer embraces his new super sub role. Lukaku played little more than an hour for Italian side Napoli all season but played almost twice as many minutes at the tournament for Belgium, who topped Group G on Wednesday and set up a round of 32 match against Senegal.
«I’m just happy to be here because if you look at my season and how it went, normally I should never have been at the World Cup,» he told reporters on Monday.
«So for me it’s great to be here, to play, to help my team, to make a difference, to be decisive in a match. So yes, as they say in English: go with the flow.»
LUKAKU IS A THREAT FROM THE BANK
The 33-year-old striker understandably does not look fully fit, but has a goal and an assist in 121 minutes and has been particularly effective from the bench. In Belgium’s first match against Egypt, they trailed 1-0 and seemed bereft of ideas until the introduction of Lukaku forced an equalizing own goal some 20 seconds later.
Lukaku started and played for over an hour in a 0–0 stalemate with Iran, before again making an immediate impact against New Zealand, scoring a goal shortly afterwards to put Belgium back on top of the group.
“I have enough time to analyze where the spaces are and then I just try to sneak in or do a little more,” he said.
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“I think if you look at it as a substitute, you really have to pay attention together with the other players who are on the bench with you.” Lukaku is one of the last of Belgium’s golden generation – coach Rudi Garcia’s ‘oldies’ – who still have a chance to fulfill their promise, although he called on his teammates to ignore the outside noise and focus on tough opponents in Senegal.
“Technically they are very good, tactically they are very strong, physically they can make the difference, so for us it will be a big challenge in terms of intensity,” Lukaku said.
«I said in the locker room that it will be 50-50, so let’s see what the match brings us.»
Published on June 30, 2026
