Dodi Lukebakio: From AC Milan Target to Benfica Star

There was a moment, not so long ago, when Dodi Lukebakio’s goals were supposed to light up San Siro for AC Milan, not silence it.

La Gazzetta dello Sport wind the story back to August 2025. Milan were deep in talks with Marseille for Adrien Rabiot, reshaping a squad that had just seen one transfer plan fall apart. Conrad Harder hadn’t arrived, Samuel Chukwueze was packing for Fulham, and the club needed a new wide threat. On the list of solutions: a quick, left-footed Belgian winger coming off an 11-goal season with Sevilla. Dodi Lukebakio.

The old Milan hierarchy, led by Igli Tare, made their move. An enquiry, initial contacts, the usual dance. On paper, he fit perfectly. Left-footed, explosive in transition, comfortable on either flank, and with a habit of cutting inside to finish or whip crosses to the far post. Exactly the kind of profile that now torments full-backs across Europe.

In the end, nothing advanced. Talks cooled, Milan chose another route, and Lukebakio’s path veered away from Lombardy.

He left Spain instead. Early September brought a different signature: Benfica, not Milan, secured him for around €25m, tying him down on a five-year deal with a €50m release clause. While Milan reconfigured their attack without him, the Portuguese giants bet big on his peak years.

San Siro saw the cost of that decision on Wednesday night.

Davide Bartesaghi discovered the full scouting report the hard way. Lukebakio started wide, hugged the touchline just long enough to lure his marker, then snapped inside onto that left foot. One stride, two, the angle opening, the familiar arc towards the far post. It was the exact pattern Milan once studied as a potential weapon. Instead, it became the blueprint for his opening goal against them.

At 28, Lukebakio has already lived the life of a footballing nomad. Belgium, England, Germany, Spain, now Portugal. He has worn the shirt of Hertha Berlin, Fortuna Düsseldorf and Sevilla, hitting double figures in a single season for all three. The numbers are no accident. Nor are the 33 caps and six goals for the Belgian national team.

Benfica expect those figures to grow. The release clause, the fee, the role he has been handed in Lisbon – all of it points in one direction: responsibility, and goals.

He has answered that call before. The only real question now is whether Portugal becomes the next stop where Dodi Lukebakio once again breaks the 10-goal barrier and turns another “almost” transfer into another club’s regret.