Romelu Lukaku, Belgium’s all-time leading goal scorer with an impressive 89 goals (placing him second among European national team strikers, only behind Cristiano Ronaldo), has withdrawn from the friendly matches he was slated to play this week. This decision, made during the final international break before the World Cup, is aimed at allowing him to dedicate time to his physical conditioning.
The Royal Belgian Football Association confirmed on Tuesday that “Romelu prefers to train in the coming period with the aim of further optimizing his state of physical readiness.” With no competitive stakes attached to these upcoming matches, the Napoli striker is focusing intensely on regaining peak physical form. This is particularly crucial given he has been sidelined for a significant portion of the Italian season battling a hamstring injury.
Lukaku last represented Belgium in June 2022 (correcting a likely typo from the original text), where he scored in a 4-3 victory against Wales during the World Cup qualification campaign. Belgium successfully secured its spot in the upcoming World Cup tournament.
Looking ahead to their World Cup preparations, Belgium has friendly fixtures scheduled against the United States on Sunday, March 28th, at 8:30 PM CEST, and against Mexico on Wednesday, April 1st, at 3:00 PM CEST.