Belgium Selects Romelu Lukaku for World Cup Roster Despite Injury Challenges
Romelu Lukaku has been named to Belgium’s 26-man World Cup roster on Friday, despite being limited to only five appearances for Napoli this season due to injuries. The all-time leading scorer for Belgium, Lukaku, 33, boasts 89 goals in 124 appearances but has not played for the Red Devils since June of last year. This will mark his fourth World Cup appearance, joining Napoli teammate Kevin De Bruyne, who is also facing issues following a hamstring injury.
Coach Rudi Garcia addressed the media at Friday’s press conference, stating, “Romelu has recovered, but he’s out of shape, and I’m not sure he’ll be able to start the matches. But he’s our best striker, Belgium’s all-time leading scorer.”
Lukaku and De Bruyne will bring additional star power to Garcia’s team, which includes notable players like Thibaut Courtois, Thomas Meunier, and Axel Witsel. Garcia unveiled his roster on Friday, highlighting the surprising omission of 20-year-old winger Mika Godts, who has impressively tallied 17 goals and 12 assists for Ajax this season. Instead, Garcia opted for Strasbourg’s Mike Penders as the third goalkeeper over Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels.
In an interesting development, forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo received his first call-up for Belgium after a standout season with Ligue 1’s Lille. He will have the opportunity to learn from experienced players like Witsel, 37, who was included to provide balance to a relatively young roster.
Garcia emphasized the importance of team spirit, explaining, “The concept of team spirit was important; we needed to stick with a squad that had performed well in the qualifiers, taking into account how the players complement each other and striking a balance between experience and youth.”
He continued, “This squad is built around playing well and getting on well together. We need to distinguish between our objective and our ambition. Ambition knows no bounds; we all dream of going all the way.” He added, “The objective is simply to finish top of the group and progress from the group stage; we’ll then see who we’re drawn against in the next rounds. We’re not favorites, but I prefer this underdog position, which doesn’t stand in the way of ambition.”
Garcia’s current contract concludes at the end of the World Cup, as Belgium seeks to bounce back following their failure to advance past the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The team is set to play friendly matches against Croatia on June 2 and Tunisia on June 6. Belgium will establish their World Cup base camp in Renton, Washington, opening their Group G play against Egypt in Seattle on June 15. They will also face Iran in Los Angeles on June 21 and New Zealand in Vancouver on June 26.
BELGIUM WORLD CUP ROSTER
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Senne Lammens (Manchester United), Mike Penders (Strasbourg, on loan from Chelsea).
Defenders: Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Zeno Debast (Sporting CP), Maxim De Cuyper (Brighton), Koni De Winter (Milan), Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge), Thomas Meunier (Lille), Nathan Ngoy (Lille), Joaquin Seys (Club Brugge), Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt).
Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli), Amadou Onana (Aston Villa), Nicolas Raskin (Rangers), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Axel Witsel (Girona).
Forwards: Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Matias Fernandez Pardo (Lille), Romelu Lukaku (Napoli), Dodi Lukebakio (Benfica), Diego Moreira (Strasbourg), Alexis Saelemaekers (Milan), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal).