I barely got to shine at Benfica: international in World Cup nightmare | OneFootball

Dodi Lukebakio arrived at the 2026 World Cup determined to establish himself in the Belgian national team, but the tournament has so far fallen well short of the Benfica winger’s expectations. Used only once in the three group-stage matches, the Belgium international is going through a frustrating spell after stating before the start of the tournament that his goal was to earn a place in the starting eleven.

"I’m a competitor. I want to play and always be a starter", he said at the time. Signed by Benfica from Sevilla on the final day of the 2025 summer transfer window for €20 million, Lukebakio arrived at the World Cup motivated and with solid arguments to convince coach Rudi Garcia.

The winger scored a goal in the friendly against Tunisia, despite only being on the pitch for 17 minutes, after already showing promising signs in the friendlies played in March, scoring twice against the United States and once against Mexico. Even so, his build-up to the tournament was marked by a major setback. The fracture in his left ankle, suffered in November, even put his place in the squad at risk.

"I could barely show what I can do at Benfica", the player admitted, although despite the difficulties he managed to recover in time to fulfill "a childhood dream" by playing in a World Cup. So far, however, Lukebakio has had few opportunities to show his worth. Against Egypt, he remained on the bench for the full 90 minutes, even with Belgium struggling in attack.

In the following match, against Iran, he came on in the 58th minute to replace Alexis Saelemaekers. However, Nathan Ngoy’s red card eight minutes later forced the team to reorganize, leaving the Benfica player isolated up front until the final whistle. Then, in the third matchday against New Zealand, he once again did not come off the bench. According to Belgian outlet Walfoot, Lukebakio is among the players most disappointed by the lack of playing time, although he remains committed in training and waiting for an opportunity to turn things around.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.