Lukaku Reaches 90 Belgium Goals — And the Golden Generation Still Has Something to Prove

Romelu Lukaku has done it again. The Belgian striker scored his 90th international goal as Belgium cruised past Croatia, extending their unbeaten run to 12 games and underlining that this generation — battered, ageing, and still trophy-less — refuses to go quietly.

The Milestone in Global Context

Ninety international goals is a number that belongs in rarefied company. Across the entire history of European international football, only a tiny handful of players have ever reached that figure. To do it in a Belgium shirt — a country of just over 11 million people, not a traditional powerhouse like Germany or France — makes Lukaku's achievement genuinely historic on a global scale. He has now scored more international goals than icons who defined entire eras of the game, and he is still adding to the tally.

For a striker who has faced years of criticism, been shipped out on loan deals, and written off more times than most players survive, 90 goals for his country is the kind of record that silences debate. Whatever happens at club level, his international numbers are beyond argument.

Belgium's 12-Game Unbeaten Run — and What It Signals

The win over Croatia was not just about Lukaku. Belgium making it 12 games unbeaten is a genuinely significant sequence heading into the final stretch of World Cup 2026 qualification. The Red Devils have shown a consistency of results that suggests the squad, transitioning through the back end of its golden era, still has the quality and cohesion to be a genuine force in qualification.

Whether that translates into a deep tournament run remains the defining question. In the opinion of this writer, this Belgian generation has always been greater than the sum of its parts on paper, yet something has perpetually slipped away when a major trophy was within reach. A 12-game unbeaten run feeds optimism — but this group knows better than anyone that unbeaten runs do not fill the cabinet.

Croatia's Fading Force

The backdrop of this result matters too. Croatia, once one of Europe's most reliable overachievers and a side that reached the 2018 World Cup final, are navigating a difficult post-Modrić era. The footballing infrastructure that produced that golden generation of Croatian talent is straining to replace what is being lost to age. Beating them in 2026 carries less weight than beating them in 2018 or 2022 would have — but it is still a professional result on the road to qualification, and Belgium executed it.

The Bittersweet Truth About Lukaku and This Generation

There is something quietly poignant about Lukaku's continued brilliance in a Belgium shirt. This golden generation — the one that was supposed to finally deliver a major international trophy — is entering its last chapter. Players who were in their prime at Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup are now veterans. Time moves in one direction.

Yet here is Lukaku, still scoring, still showing up, still carrying the weight of a nation's expectations on his back. Ninety goals. A number built across tournaments, qualifiers, friendlies, and high-pressure knockouts. Built through the criticism and the comebacks and the moments where lesser players would have retreated.

• 12 games unbeaten — Belgium's current run heading into World Cup 2026 qualification
• 90 international goals — Lukaku's landmark tally for Belgium
• Croatia defeated — a result that continues Belgium's strong recent form

The golden generation never lifted a trophy. That narrative is almost certainly locked in now. But Lukaku, at least, will leave behind numbers that no one can take from him — and the faint, still-flickering hope that one last tournament run might yet rewrite the ending.