Lukaku and De Bruyne willing to sit on the bench—could this be Belgium's strongest form?

Written by Han Bing At the pre-match press conference between Spain and Belgium, the media's focus was on superstars De Bruyne, Lukaku, and Doku, who were on the bench waiting for opportunities during the round-of-16 victory over the USA. Belgium coach Rudi Garcia brought Lukaku along to the press conference. *Het Nieuwsblad* reported that the French coach stressed how different his team is compared to Portugal: "I have great faith in my squad. The substitutes have proven that time and again. I am a coach who likes to use all five substitutes."

*Het Nieuwsblad* said the European Red Devils' big win over the hosts was due to the French coach valuing training form and tactical needs over player reputation. Lukaku's words confirmed the source of this Belgian team's strength: "For me, this season has been tough, so I'm currently a substitute. We'll see if my role stays the same in the future." A superstar like Lukaku can only wait for his chance on the bench, yet he doesn't mind: "I feel good. I have an impact on and off the pitch. The team is what matters most—I need to emphasize that again. Of course I want to start, but this is fine too."

Rudi Garcia highlighted the excellent team atmosphere in Belgium, where fair competition based on form has created a surprisingly united squad: "Everyone wants to play, except for the injured Onana and De Bast, whose issue is not up for discussion." He certainly didn't avoid questions about Lukaku: "I have two starting lineups—one for the beginning of the match and one for the end. We have great substitutes, including the best striker in Belgium's history."

Garcia even joked about Lukaku, saying he's only pretending to be a substitute but is actually a starter who shines in the second half: "I've talked a lot with Lukaku. We both know his quality. When he comes on, opponents tremble, so his impact is greater in the second half." The 33-year-old Lukaku has started only once in this World Cup, with 3 goals and 1 assist, averaging a goal every 50 minutes.

Lukaku revealed that as early as April, Rudi Garcia had spoken with him for two hours, making it clear that Lukaku would have to compete for a starting spot like everyone else—giving him enough mental preparation. Having spent almost the entire season on the bench, Lukaku gladly accepted not being an automatic starter: "I said 'okay,' because if I only played 64 minutes all season for Napoli and still kept my starting spot in the World Cup, that would be crazy. Everyone has to contribute to the team. I have to be very clear-eyed about my reality."

But Garcia's rebuilding of the Belgian team has never been about "suppressing" stars as a means or an end. When he took over in early 2025, his first move was to fly to Madrid to convince goalkeeper Courtois, who had fallen out with previous Belgium coach Tedesco. From start to finish, the French coach wanted a team built on healthy competition—not one composed of small factions relying on stars for fragile balance. Garcia's top priority was to rejuvenate the Belgian squad. Young center-back Ngoy, midfielder Moreira, and Raskin have all been key figures in this World Cup, and all three made their national team debuts under Garcia.

The 29-year-old Tielemans replaced De Bruyne as captain and dressing-room leader. Belgium no longer has the traditional three cliques of Flemish, Walloon, and immigrant players; instead, every player is simply part of the team. Belgium ranks in the top 10 of all 48 World Cup teams in goals, assists, shots on target, and expected goals—yet no individual player ranks in the top 10 in any personal statistic. The team relies on collective effort rather than individual stars. At Garcia's introductory press conference last year, he clearly stated his coaching goal: "I already feel 100% Belgian, and I want my players to feel the same."

Following Balogun's red card "reprieve," Belgium faced another unfair treatment from the hosts. The European Red Devils were assigned to train at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, but the pitch quality was completely substandard. The Belgian association had to file a complaint with FIFA before being allowed to move to the LA Galaxy training ground. Despite this new setback and playing at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles—almost completely filled with American fans—against a strong Spain side, Garcia remained confident: "After beating the USA, we gained millions of new fans. I believe there will be many Belgians supporting us at SoFi. Everyone says Belgium should go home, but we believe we can win."

Garcia's confidence came from Belgium's attacking stats: 13 goals, second only to France and Argentina, the two biggest title favorites; 107 shots, second only to France, who had played one more match. Beside him, Lukaku knew the coach wanted him to play a bigger role: "The atmosphere in Los Angeles can't be worse than it was against the USA. It's not the fans who score goals—it's us. We've come this far, and nobody wants to stop here."