Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku have been named in Belgium’s fourth consecutive World Cup squad despite only accounting for six minutes of shared playing time in Naples for their much-anticipated reunion in what has been one of the most impressive club partnerships in recent football history, considering the individuals involved.
According to Corriere dello Sport, the pair have been friends and national team teammates for 16 years and first played together for Belgium in a friendly loss to Finland on August 11, 2010, when Lukaku was 17 and De Bruyne was 19. Since then, they have played 82 games together in Belgium and scored a total of 18 goals. De Bruyne provided 13 assists for Lukaku, and Lukaku returned 5 assists for De Bruyne.
NAPLES, ITALY – FEBRUARY 10: Romelu Lukaku of SSC Napoli reacts after missing a penalty kick during the penalty shootout match between Naples and Como 1907 during the Coppa Italia match at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on February 10, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
advertise
Napoli have been plagued by injuries, with De Bruyne and Lukaku making just one appearance for the club.
The dream of finally sharing the club’s jersey seemed to have come true last summer when Napoli added De Bruyne to the squad, accomplishing what Chelsea had failed to do in 2013.
Instead, Lukaku suffered a right quadriceps injury and De Bruyne suffered a left biceps injury, both injured between August and October, turning their shared Napoli experience into a cameo.
In the game against Turin on March 6, De Bruyne came on as a substitute in the 79th minute, and Lukaku came on in the 84th minute, playing 6 minutes in a Napoli jersey. That’s all.
advertise
Lukaku, who has played just 64 minutes this season and is heading into the World Cup, has also dealt with the death of his father and a reported falling out with manager Antonio Conte.
De Bruyne arrived after undergoing a second operation on the same muscle in more than two years. At 68 years old, they have enough shared football history to fill their careers.
In the twilight of their careers, this American summer could represent their last World Cup appearance and perhaps the stage for them to finally achieve the moment that never materialized with Napoli.