Romelu Lukaku on Monday defended his decision to undergo treatment in his home country rather than at his club after withdrawing from Belgium’s World Cup warm-up matches in the United States DFS4JSz.
The 32-year-old has barely played this season due to injury but said success for Napoli and his national team was all he wanted.
«This season has meant a lot to me in terms of dealing with the injury and personal loss (of his father),» Napoli forward Lukaku wrote Instagram.
“I know there has been a lot of fuss about my situation in recent days and it is important to clarify the whole situation…
«The truth is that I haven’t been feeling well physically in recent weeks. I had it examined when I was in Belgium and it turned out that there was inflammation and fluid on my hip flexor muscle.»
After an injury-marred season, Lukaku withdrew from Belgium’s World Cup friendlies last Tuesday, skipping the 5-2 win over co-hosts the United States and missing the upcoming match against Mexico.
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«I chose to do the rehabilitation in Belgium… (But) I could never turn my back on Napoli, never,» he added, responding to internal criticism from the Serie A club and their supporters.
“I would like to do nothing more than play and win (for) my team,” he said. “But right now I have to make sure I’m 100 percent clinically because that hasn’t been the case lately and it’s taken its toll mentally.”
Lukaku, Belgium’s all-time record goalscorer, said it was «a lot this year» but «all I want» is to «get there and help Napoli and the national team achieve their respective goals».
After Lukaku suffered a thigh injury during pre-season, he only returned to competition in January this year.
He has made just seven appearances for the Serie A champions in all competitions this season as they endure a tough title defense. Napoli is currently seven points behind leaders Inter Milan.
Published on March 30, 2026
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