Dodi Lukebakio: Milan's Missed Opportunity for a Star Winger
There was a moment, not so long ago, when Dodi Lukebakio might have been celebrating in front of the Curva Sud in red and black, not silencing it in Benfica colours.
La Gazzetta dello Sport roll the tape back to August 2025. Milan were in the middle of delicate talks with Marseille for Adrien Rabiot, reshaping a squad and a wage bill, and Lukebakio’s name quietly slipped onto the list of attacking targets. The then management, with Igli Tare at the helm, made their move and opened talks.
The context was clear. Conrad Harder had slipped through their fingers, the club had to react, and Samuel Chukwueze was on his way to Fulham with his suitcases practically at the door. Milan needed a winger. Someone with end product, someone ready. Lukebakio, fresh from an 11-goal campaign in Spain with Sevilla, ticked every box.
Speed. Versatility. A sharp, left-footed strike. The kind of profile every sporting director claims to be hunting. Two nights ago at San Siro, Davide Bartesaghi discovered those qualities at full pace and under the worst possible conditions. Lukebakio ran at him, cut inside him, punished him. The scouting report came to life on the biggest stage – only in the wrong shirt.
In the end, Milan walked away. Talks never turned into a bid, and the path forked.
Lukebakio left Spain and, in early September, committed his future to Benfica. The Portuguese club paid around €25m, handed him a five-year deal and protected the investment with a €50m release clause. While Milan chose a different route in the market, Benfica bet heavily on that left foot.
The goal at San Siro on Wednesday night was almost a signature piece. Lukebakio started wide, hugged the touchline, then sliced inside onto his stronger foot. One glance, one shift of balance, and he curled towards the far post. It is the move he has repeated across a career that has already taken him through Belgium, England, Germany, Spain and now Portugal.
At 28, he has become a seasoned international as well. Thirty-three caps for Belgium, six goals, and the experience of different leagues etched into his game. He has already hit double figures in a single season for Hertha Berlin, Fortuna Düsseldorf and Sevilla, proving that his numbers are not a one-off but a pattern.
Now the question hangs over Lisbon and beyond: with that release clause in place and confidence rising, is Benfica about to witness his next double-digit campaign – and the moment when everyone who passed on him, Milan included, starts to wonder what might have been?
