It’s a dream for every player to play for his country, says Dodi Lukebakio

The Belgium forward has been in good goal scoring form this term

Dodi Lukebakio is a Belgium international forward who currently plays for Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin. The Belgium forward has five goals and one assist to his name already this season in 11 Bundesliga appearances. He has also registered one goal and one assist in the DFB Pokal. Lukebakio has also racked up five caps for his country,

Dodi Lukebakio recent sat down with the Bundesliga media, discussing a variety of topics including playing in the Bundesliga and his form, tactical syles, 2022 Qatar World Cup and Christopher Nkunku. Finally, here is the full interview.

Are you happy with your goalscoring performance so far this season?

“Yes, of course. I had a clear target to start the season well and everything is going well as you can see. I am really happy, but it is only the beginning, and I am hoping to do more.”

What has changed compared to last season?

“There are many things. The second part of last season made me think a lot. Of course, the fans also made it easier to think in a positive way. I have to keep going, to push, to work hard and in the end, when the chance arrives you have to take it. This changed a lot for me because when I came here, I had it in my mind to give everything and see what will happen. Then a coach gave me a lot of confidence. Of course, this gives you a good feeling.”

What is the reason for this improvement?

“When you suffer a lot, most of the time you think more deeply. You wonder about what is going wrong and what the problem is. I was just telling myself that I have to give more, I have to do everything I can so that in the end, I don’t have any regrets. I also have a personal trainer. I really try to improve every day. This is how I changed.”

Has your coach Sandro Schwarz helped your confidence?

“He is a coach that gives you so much confidence and really saves you when you may have made some mistakes. He is really there for me. Then for sure, it changes everything, and this is what makes it easier for me, because when I am on the pitch I just try to give my best, to show him that I want to give more of this confidence back. I think he sees it, so this makes our relationship even greater.”

What is he like as a coach?

“He is really trying to give a lot of advice. Where to position yourself on the pitch, what to improve and what to do better. He is helping me in every way.”

How would you describe his tactical style?

“I would describe him as a coach who likes a lot of intensity and high pressing. He really wants the opponent to feel pressure. He wants to play very fast-forward, offensive football. Of course, he likes to win. He is crazy about wanting to win games. He has character. Really knows what he wants. To be honest, we have the same character. This is also the reason why it is such a good match between the two of us.”

Can you tell us more about your shared character traits?

“He has this character that when he doesn’t win, he is just not happy with it and wants to move directly forward and see what didn’t work well and try to give the best solutions for the team. With me, it is the same. When I lose, I am not happy either and I watch the games again to see what didn’t work well so that I can change for the next games.”

How did you and the team support Marco Richter and Jean-Paul Boëtius during their illness?

“We just showed them love. We sent them a lot of messages. When they came back, we spoke with them and also printed a very nice speech. I think Marco was the first - when this happened, I think we hadn’t started the season yet. We had a situation in training where all fans were there, and the fans were really happy to see Marco back. I think everybody really tried to support these two players. I think that they really felt at home. They felt all the support from everybody. What happened to them was not easy. We were sad for them, but we are so happy to see that everything went well.”

How would you describe the support of the fans this season?

“When you see this support, you can only give a lot back. Honestly, it is just amazing, because even when we play at home, they just support us, even when we concede goals they are always there pushing us. These things change a lot.”

You just won at home for the first time, but the start of the season wasn’t ideal. What was the reason for that?

“We are improving as a team and I prefer us going through this phase at the beginning of the season rather than at the end of the season, because this shows

that great things are waiting for us. We are showing everybody that we improve in every game. We don’t have to forget that there a lot of new players. However, I have a lot of confidence and I am sure that these nice times will come. The calendar wasn’t easy either, we started with a lot of top teams. We also have to consider this and just move forward, give our best in every game and see what will happen, but we know that we have to win games. That’s what we play for, that’s what we play for. Let’s see what will happen.”

What do you think about Berlin as a city?

“Honestly, I like everything, because it is the capital. It is an international city. There is a lot to do when my family comes, we can go to restaurants, we can visit everything and it’s a big city. That means you can do everything you want. I have to say that I really love Berlin and it’s nice when you have a small family to enjoy and do different things.”

What is your favourite place in Berlin?

“I just like to walk with my wife and my kids to Ku’damm (Kurfuerstendamm). This is a place that we really like. Just walking is enough. Spending nice moments like this, just simple things are enough for us.”

In 2018, you scored a famous hat-trick against FC Bayern München. How do you feel about that today?

“It still is amazing. I also have a jersey and a ball at home [from that match]. When I look at the ball and the jersey, I am still proud. That always gives me more motivation whenever I see the ball and jersey, because it is so nice. I am just hoping to do more.”

Would it be a dream of yours to play at the World Cup with Belgium?

“What question is that, of course! It’s a dream. It’s a dream for every player to play for his country; the World Cup, it’s just the biggest tournament that you can play at. I am doing everything; I am really doing my best and I hope that I will be there.

What would it mean for you to represent Belgium at the World Cup?

“It would mean a lot and I think that my family would be proud to see me there. To just represent a lot of emotions. To see from where I came and now to be able to play at the World Cup, maybe, that is really something big.

You performed an amazing clearance against Nkunku on Matchday 10 in the game against RB Leipzig. How do you remember that situation?

“I remember that we changed the formation in the second halftime to 4-4-2. That means that the wingers had to defend more. When I saw Lukas going out, because we had to play with two midfielders, then I saw the space. I saw that, I don’t remember, one player from Leipzig gave the ball to the left winger and he was going to the goal – I didn’t see Christopher Nkunku, so I was at first trying to catch him.

I just ran to him to try to cover – take the ball. Then he gave the ball to Christopher and I was thinking “this will be difficult, to come back there”. Then I was thinking – my mind just – “you know what? You run until there and see what happens”. I just kept running and, in the end, when I saw that he dribbled around our goalkeeper I thought ”this can be a good situation to come back” and then I just ran and tackled and I saw that I could save it. I was very, very happy for the team because it was 3-2, so it gave us more hope in the game.”

Are you working on your defensive capabilities?

“For sure. Again, last year, like I told you, when I was thinking a lot and also speaking with some of my ex-teammates because they are good friends, they told me that I can do better. In some situations, you just think and try to take everything from what people say to you. I did my best in training, trying to really make this effort. With the coach as well who also wants wingers to make a big effort. I just try to really bring it every game. It is going in a good way.”