Lukebakio joins Benfica!

Lukebakio, a 27-year-old forward, is the new signing of Sport Lisboa e Benfica. The Belgian international signed a contract valid until 2030, moving from Sevilla to Luz.

The terms of the deal were detailed to the Portuguese Securities Market Commission (CMVM): "Sport Lisboa e Benfica – Futebol, SAD informs that has reached an agreement with Sevilla FC for the acquisition of all the rights of the player Dodi Lukebakio, for an amount of €20,000,000 (twenty million euros), plus €4,000,000 (four million euros) paid according to predefined objectives. Benfica SAD and Sevilla FC will share responsibility for the costs with the solidarity mechanism that will be distributed to the clubs that participated in the player's training. It is also reported that Sevilla FC will also be entitled to receive a percentage of 15% of the capital gain obtained in a future transfer of the aforementioned player. Benfica SAD has entered into a sports employment contract with the player, which is valid until June 30, 2030, and includes a termination clause in the amount of €50,000,000 (fifty million euros)."

"It's an amazing feeling, honestly. I asked for a lot of opinions, I already knew it was a great club, but I was surprised because everyone only said good things. I really want to be on the field and experience those moments with the fans, who I've heard are fantastic. I've just signed, but I'm already looking forward to play in this stadium", he said in an exclusive interview with BTV.

CAREER

Born in Asse, on the outskirts of Brussels, on September 24, 1997, Lukebakio had his first taste of football at the Anderlecht youth academy and, on October 25, 2015, at the age of 18, he made his debut for the first team, coming on in the 79th minute of a 3-1 win over Club Brugge. That same season (2015/16), he played a total of 18 games and scored one goal.

In the 2016/17 season, he was loaned to Toulouse and played in 6 matches. He was then loaned out again, this time to Charleroi. After scoring 3 goals in 20 games in the first half of the 2017/18 season, the forward was transferred to Watford in England during the January transfer window.

In the summer of 2018, the London club agreed to loan Lukebakio to Fortuna Düsseldorf, a team that had just been promoted to the Bundesliga. The German adventure proved fruitful, with 14 goals in 34 games, and earned him a permanent transfer from Watford to Hertha Berlin.

In the German capital, the Belgian international scored 15 goals in 63 games played over two seasons (2019/20 and 2020/21). At the start of the 2021/22 season, he was loaned to Wolfsburg, where he scored one goal in 25 games. In 2022/23, he returned to Hertha Berlin, where he regained his unquestionable status and scored 12 goals in 33 games.

Despite the German capital club's relegation to Bundesliga 2, Lukebakio's numbers earned him a move to Sevilla. In his debut season in Spain (2023/24), he scored 5 goals in 27 games and improved his performance in 2024/25, becoming Sevilla's top scorer in La Liga with 11 goals in 38 games.

This season, before his transfer to Benfica, he scored in Sevilla's 3-2 defeat at Athletic Bilbao on the opening day of the 2025/26 La Liga season.

Son of a French-Congolese father and a Belgian mother, Lukebakio played for the Democratic Republic of Congo in a friendly against Kenya in October 2016, but later chose to represent Belgium. The forward began his career in the Under-21s and, on November 11, 2020, made his debut for the first team in a friendly against Switzerland, joining the Red Devils squad for Euro 2024.