Dodi Lukebakio Haunts AC Milan After Benfica Move

There was a moment, not so long ago, when Dodi Lukebakio’s goals were supposed to light up San Siro in red and black, not silence it. On Wednesday night, the Belgian did the latter, and he did it in exactly the way AC Milan once imagined he might do for them.

La Gazzetta dello Sport wind the story back to August 2025. Milan were deep in negotiations, juggling names and possibilities. Adrien Rabiot was on the table in talks with Marseille. In the background, another profile kept popping up on scouting reports and internal lists: Dodi Lukebakio.

The then-management, with Igli Tare at the helm of operations, made their move. An enquiry, exploratory but serious enough to be remembered now. Milan needed a winger. Conrad Harder had slipped through their fingers. Samuel Chukwueze was already halfway out the door, bags metaphorically packed for Fulham. The club needed a replacement who could bring goals, pace, and unpredictability from wide areas.

Lukebakio fit the brief. He was coming off an 11-goal season in Spain with Sevilla, a campaign that underlined what those who had followed his journey already knew: he scores wherever he goes. Quick. Versatile. A left-footed winger who can twist a full-back inside out and finish like a forward. On paper, it made sense.

On the pitch at San Siro two nights ago, it made even more sense – to Milan’s cost.

Davide Bartesaghi discovered the full weight of that scouting report the hard way. Lukebakio didn’t just showcase his strengths; he weaponised them. Time and again he pulled wide, inviting the duel, then cut inside onto that cultured left foot. For defenders, it’s predictable in theory, but stopping it is another matter.

The opening goal on Wednesday was a textbook Lukebakio move. Start wide. Isolate the defender. Shift inside. Look up. Aim for the far post – whether with a shot or a teasing cross that begs to be finished. This time, the sequence ended with the ball nestling where Milan least wanted it. The kind of action Milan once considered paying for became the very thing that punished them.

In the end, the transfer never happened. Talks cooled, priorities shifted, and Milan chose a different path. Lukebakio did the same. He left Spain and, in early September, signed for Benfica for around €25m, agreeing a five-year contract with a €50m release clause attached. A clear statement from the Portuguese club: this was not a short-term gamble, but a cornerstone.

By 28, Lukebakio has already lived a career that looks like a tour of European football’s major stops. Belgium, England, Germany, Spain, and now Portugal – each chapter adding layers to his game. For the Belgian national team he has 33 caps and six goals, steady contributions that reflect his status as a reliable attacking option rather than a fleeting sensation.

The numbers at club level tell an even sharper story. He has already hit double figures in a single season with Hertha Berlin, Fortuna Düsseldorf and Sevilla. Different leagues, different systems, same outcome: he finds his way to goal.

So the question now shifts to Lisbon. Benfica have invested in a winger who has shown he can adapt, deliver, and decide games in the biggest arenas – as San Siro just witnessed. With his role clearly defined and his confidence high, another double-figure season feels less like a target and more like an expectation.

He has done it in Germany. He has done it in Spain. Now he has started doing it against clubs that once wanted him.

Can anyone in Portugal really bet against him doing it again in Benfica colours?