Kevin De Bruyne

At 32 years old, Kevin De Bruyne has this physical status:

Kevin De Bruyne (born 28 June 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the Belgium national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world and of his generation. Pundits have often described him as a "complete footballer".

De Bruyne began his career at Genk, where he was a regular player when they won the 2010–11 Belgian Pro League. In 2012 he joined English club Chelsea, where he was used sparingly and then loaned to Werder Bremen. He signed with Wolfsburg for £18 million in 2014, where he established himself as one of the best players in the Bundesliga and was integral in the club's 2014–15 DFB-Pokal win. In the summer of 2015 De Bruyne joined Manchester City for a club record £54 million. He has since won four Premier League titles, five League Cups and an FA Cup with the club. In 2017–18 he had a significant role in Manchester City's record in becoming the only Premier League team to attain 100 points in a single season. In 2019–20, De Bruyne tied the record for most assists in a Premier League season and was awarded Player of the Season (which he won again in 2021–22).

De Bruyne made his full international debut in 2010, and he has since earned over 90 caps and scored 25 goals for Belgium. He was a member of the Belgian squads that reached the quarter-finals both at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and at UEFA Euro 2016. He represented Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where Belgium won the third place play-off match against England, and was named in the FIFA World Cup Dream Team.

De Bruyne has been named in the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season five times, the IFFHS Men's World Team four times, the UEFA Team of the Year and the ESM Team of the Year three times each, the France Football World XI, and the Bundesliga Team of the Year. He has also won the Premier League Playmaker of the Season twice, the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, Manchester City's Player of the Year four times, the UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Season, the Bundesliga Player of the Year, the Footballer of the Year (Germany), the Belgian Sportsman of the Year and the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker twice.

Personal life

De Bruyne's mother is Belgian, born in Burundi and has also lived in the Ivory Coast. Drongen, his hometown, is a sub municipality of the city of Ghent, in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Aside from his mother tongue Dutch, De Bruyne also speaks French, English, and German. Since 2014 De Bruyne has been in a relationship with Michèle Lacroix. The couple married in June 2017, and have three children together.

His autobiography, titled Keep It Simple, was published by Borgerhoff & Lamberigts in October 2014, following an incident between De Bruyne and his compatriot Thibaut Courtois, in which De Bruyne's then-girlfriend left him for Courtois. De Bruyne wrote in his autobiography, "Although I still can not believe what Courtois has done, we continue to work together professionally."

De Bruyne was an ambassador for the 2014 Special Olympics, which took place in Antwerp, and was involved in a controversial advertisement campaign, via his personal Instagram account. Employing the slogan (in Dutch): "Would you still be my fan if I looked like this?", De Bruyne was depicted resembling a person with Down syndrome.

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Club career

In 1997, De Bruyne began his career with KVV Drongen, his hometown club. He joined Gent and migrated to Genk in 2005 two years ago. De Bruyne continued his development in his youth set-up, and was rewarded for his achievements by being named in the first team squad in 2008. De Bruyne, a Liverpool fan and admirer of Michael Owen, was revealed in a Youth Club interview.

In a 3–0 loss at Charleroi on May 9, Bruyne made his first team debut for Genk. De Bruyne scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 victory over Standard Liège on February 7, 2010, having establishing himself in the team the following season. Genk were named Belgian champions for the third time as he scored five goals and made 16 assists in 32 league games during the 2010–11 season. De Bruyne scored his first hat-trick for Genk against Club Brugge on October 29th, which resulted in a 5-4 victory for Genk. In a 5–0 victory over OH Leuven on January 28, 2012, De Bruyne scored a brace against De Bruyne. Following his agreed transfer to Chelsea and also assisted with the other goal in a 1–2 away victory over Mons on February 18, 2012, De Bruyne scored his first goal back at Genk. In a 3–1 win over Gent, De Bruyne ended the season by wrapping up the scoring. With eight goals from 28 appearances, he finished the league season.

Chelsea and Genk announced the permanent transfer of De Bruyne on the 31st January 2012, the fee was expected to be in the region of £7 million. He began a five-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge but will remain at Genk for the remainder of the 2011–12 season. "To join a team like Chelsea is a dream, but now I have to work hard to reach the level that is desired," De Bruyne said on the club's website. De Bruyne made his Chelsea debut in a friendly match against the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer (MLS) on July 18, 2012, winning by 4–2 over De Bruyne. At Yankee Stadium, New York City, De Bruyne appeared in the first half against Ligue 1's Paris Saint-Germain.

Chelsea announced on July 31 that De Bruyne would join Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on a season-long loan contract. In a 3–2 loss to Hannover 96 on September 15, he scored his first goal for Bremen, netting from 11 yards out after being played in by Eljero Elia. He maintained his good form in Bremen's next game, a 2–2 draw with VfB Stuttgart on September 23. De Bruyne came back to the score sheet on November 18th, scoring the winning goal despite his team's being down to ten men, as Bremen came from a goal down to defeat Fortuna Düsseldorf 2–1.

On May 4, 2013, De Bruyne scored his first goal in over two months after scoring a consolation goal in Bayern Munich's 6–1 victory over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, bringing his team up 2–2. With a 1–1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt on 11 May, he continued this up with a goal in Bremen's next game, securing a spot in the Bundesliga for the upcoming season.

De Bruyne was linked with a move to remain in Germany with either Borussia Dortmund or Bayer Leverkusen after a fruitful loan period with Werder Bremen. José Mourinho, Chelsea's current manager, told De Bruyne he was a part of Chelsea's future, and the player officially returned to Chelsea on July 1st 2013.

In a pre-season friendly game against a Malaysia XI, De Bruyne sustained a knee injury but was fit to play in the first game of the 2013-14 Premier League season against Hull City.

Wolfsburg negotiated De Bruyne for £18 million (€22 million) on January 18, 2014. In a 3–1 home loss against Hannover 96 on January 25, he made his Wolfsburg debut against Hannover 96. De Bruyne scored 2 goals in their 4–1 home win over 1. FC Nürnberg is a football team based in Nürnberg, Germany. In a 3–1 away victory over Hamburger SV last week, he scored his first goal for Wolfsburg. He also scored in the last two games of the Bundesliga, assisting his team in the triumph over VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

On October 2, 2014, De Bruyne scored his first goal of the 2014–15 season, volleying in a clear away from outside the box to salvage a 1–1 draw against Lille in the Europa League. De Bruyne scored twice in Wolfsburg's first group match away from Krasnodar on October 23th as the team won by a 4–2 victory for their first victory in the competition. He had another brace in a 4–1 home win over Bayern Munich, the first Bundesliga defeat since April 2014. In a 5–3 victory over Werder Bremen on March 1, 2015, De Bruyne scored three goals.

In a 3–1 Europa League round of 16 victory over Internazionale on March 12, 2015, De Bruyne scored two goals. In a 3–0 victory over SC Freiburg on March 15, 2015, he scored one goal and assisted another two others.

Wolfsburg finished second in the Bundesliga and qualified for the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League as the de Bruyne ended the season with ten goals and 21 assists, the former a new Bundesliga record. In the 2015 DFB-Pokal Final, Die Wölfe defeated Borussia Dortmund 3–1 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, on May 30, 2015. He started and scored.

De Bruyne finished his breakout season with 16 goals and 27 assists in all competitions, and was named the 2015 Germany Footballer of the Year.

De Bruyne started the season by winning the 2015 DFL-Supercup against Bayern Munich, providing the cross for Nicklas Bendtner's 89th-minute equalizer for a 1–1 draw and then scoring in the subsequent penalty shootout. He continued his good form by scoring his first goal of the season and giving two assists in a 4–1 victory over Stuttgarter Kickers in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on August 8, 2015.

De Bruyne said in August that he would not order Wolfsburg to sell him, but also that he would not refuse to tell Manchester City that he will know about it and how much money is, but I have not yet heard anything..." I would not go to England just to show that I can play there. I don't have to go to England... If I go there, it's because it's both for me and for my family. For me, that's the most important."

Manchester City had made a second bid for De Bruyne worth £47 million on August 10th. Klaus Allofs, Wolfsburg's sports director, said the team will fight to keep him, adding: "I think some other clubs have unquestionably turned Kevin's head." The rounds are being conducted by several major celebrities, and I can see why Kevin is leaving everything open. City had made a second bid for De Bruyne worth £58 million on August 27th. City had made a "astonish" wage bid to De Bruyne, according to Klaus Allofs.

Manchester City reported the signing of De Bruyne on a six-year contract, the second most expensive transfer in British football after he moved to Manchester United in 2014. On September 12th, he made his Premier League debut against Crystal Palace, replacing him with injured Sergio Agüero in the 25th minute. In an eventual 2–1 loss, he scored his first goal for the club against West Ham United in the first half. He went on to score in a 4–1 League victory over Sunderland on September 22nd, and Tottenham Hotspur's 4–1 loss in the Premier League on September 26. In the team's 6–1 victory over Newcastle United on October 3rd, he scored in the team's 6–1 victory.

De Bruyne was announced as one of the finalists on the longlist for the prestigious FIFA Ballon d'Or award on October 2nd, alongside colleagues Agüero and Yaya Touré. He was announced by FIFA as one of the 23-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or just 18 days after, on October 20th. De Bruyne won the UEFA Champions League with an injury-time victory over Sevilla on October 21 to put City one point behind group leaders Juventus with three games remaining. Manchester City defeated Hull City 4-1 on December 1st to advance Manchester City to the Football League Cup semi-finals.

De Bruyne scored a goal in a League Cup semi-final 3–1 victory over Everton on January 27, but he sustained a right knee injury that will keep him out of the team for two months. De Bruyne's return from injury was a victory over Bournemouth at Dean Court on April 2nd, scoring the team's second goal in the team's second minute. In the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first-leg at the Parc des Princes, four days later, he scored the opening goal in a 2–2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain. De Bruyne scored the winning goal against Paris Saint-Germain on April 12, the club's first game in the club's history, earning Manchester City to the Champions League semi-finals on a total score of 3–2. "It was a spectacular goal from the Belgian," Mark Ogden wrote in The Independent, "It was a touch to control the ball before curling it over Kevin Trapp from the edge of the penalty field." In a 2–2 draw with Arsenal on May 8, De Bruyne's next goal came on May 8, 2016, but the city's Champions League qualification hopes were left in their own hands.

In the first Manchester derby of the season, De Bruyne scored and assisted, City winning 2–1 and being named Man of the Match on September 10, 2016. In a 4–0 victory over Bournemouth on September 17, De Bruyne was named Man of the Match for the second time. De Bruyne scored the first, assisted the fourth, and gave the fourth and third goals key passes. Manchester City drew their next game against Everton on October 15, 2016, with the scoreline ending 1–1. Both Agüero and De Bruyne missed their penalties, but Nolito came off the bench to equalize for City. In the team's 3–1 victory over FC Barcelona on November 1, De Bruyne scored from a free kick. In a 2–2 home draw with Tottenham Hotspur on January 21, 2017, De Bruyne scored once more and assisted Leroy Sané's as he was subsequently named man of the match. De Bruyne's outstanding results in a 1–1 draw against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, where he set up a goal for Agüero on March 19, 2017.

In a 5–0 home win over Liverpool on September 9, De Bruyne set up both Agüero's and Gabriel Jesus' aspirations. Agüero defeated Watford 6–0 on September 16th, and De Bruyne assisted Agüero for his first goal. De Bruyne scored his first goal of the 2017-18 season on September 26th in a 2–0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk. City defeated Chelsea FC with a 1–0 scoreline at Stamford Bridge on September 30, 2017, his first goal of the 2017-18 Premier League season. De Bruyne had two assists in a 7–2 victory over Stoke City on October 14th. De Bruyne beat Arsenal 3–1 on Friday, 5–1. He scored in a 2–0 away victory over Leicester City on November 18th. In a 2–1 victory over Southampton on September 29, he scored City's opener and assisted Raheem Sterling's last-minute winner.

De Bruyne won 4–0 away over Swansea City on December 13, extending their streak of consecutive top-flight victories to 15 games. In a 4–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on December 16, he scored, with Pep Guardiola saying that De Bruyne is "assisting the club in becoming a better place." In a 1–0 victory over Newcastle United on December 27, De Bruyne scored for Sterling's goal. De Bruyne won by 2–1 over Bristol City in the first leg of the EFL Cup's first leg on January 9th. Agüero's first goal of the game was scored by a hat-trick in the game, defeating Newcastle United 3-1.

De Bruyne signed a new long-term deal with the club on January 22, 2018, extending his stay at the club until 2023. He scored the winning goal in a 3–2 victory over Bristol City in the EFL Cup's second leg, helping the city advance to the final after winning by a cumulative scoreline of 5–3. He scored and assisted in a 3–0 victory over West Bromwich Albion on Monday and was named BBC Man of the Match. In a 5–1 victory over Leicester City on Sunday, he had three assists, two for Agüero, and one for Raheem Sterling, bringing his total number to 14. He started in the 2018 EFL Cup Final against Arsenal on February 25 and watched the entire 90 minutes, with Manchester City winning 3–0 for their first piece of silverware of the 2017-18 season and their first trophy overall under Pep Guardiola.

Gabriel Jesus was aided by Gabriel Jesus in a 3–1 victory over Everton on Sunday, ensuring that the city would need only one more win to guarantee the Premier League championship. He scored in a 5–0 victory over Swansea City on April 22nd. De Bruyne helped Gabriel Jesus' winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Southampton on May 13th, the champions City's total points total number rose to 100. De Bruyne was also voted BBC Man of the Match. De Bruyne was named the inaugural Premier League Playmaker of the Season award for his 16 assists during the league season. He was also selected in the PFA Team of the Year, and he was also named as the Season's Player of the Season.

De Bruyne sustained a knee injury during a training session on August 15, 2018, according to several news outlets, and he may not play for more than three months. Manchester City revealed that he had developed a lesion of the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, that no surgery was required, and that he did not play for three months. In the fourth round of the EFL Cup against Fulham, De Bruyne returned to action in October 2018. The injury was expected to keep him out for 5–6 weeks, but he returned to full training less than expected after only 3 weeks out. As City defeated Watford's first-ever domestic treble in English men's football, he came as a replacement in the FA Cup final against Watford, scoring his third goal and assisting two more. His exploits earned him the title of Man of the Match.

In a 2–2 draw against Newcastle in the league on November 30, De Bruyne scored a half-volley in a 2–2 draw, the strike was later designated as Premier League Goal of the Month for November. In a 3–0 Premier League victory over Arsenal at the Emirates on December 15, he scored a brace.

On February 26, 2019, De Bruyne scored his 50th goal in all competitions, leading from behind in their 2–1 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 clash.

City defeated Norwich City 5–0 at home in the final Premier League match of the season. De Bruyne scored two goals and earned his 20th league assist, equaling Thierry Henry's record for the most assists in a season, as well as his second Playmaker of the Season award. In addition,, he was the first player to reach 20 assists in a single season in two of Europe's top five leagues. For the second time this season, his long-distance curler in that game also earned him Premier League Goal of the Month.

He was named Premier League Player of the Season after scoring 13 goals, 20 assists, and creating 104 chances from open play, the most for a player in any of Europe's top five leagues since 2006.

He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year and received the PFA Player of the Year award, becoming the first Manchester City player to win it.

In De Bruyne's 3–1 away victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in City's first game of the season on Friday, on September 21, 2020. De Bruyne assisted Gabriel Jesus' equalizer before winning a penalty which he then shot wide during his visit to the Premier League champions. The game came to a 1–1 draw. After negotiating it with the support of statistical reports to make the case for a 30% wage increase, De Bruyne signed a four-year deal on April 7th.

City defeated Tottenham Hotspur 11-0 at Wembley Stadium on April 25, 2021, after De Bruyne's free-kick was directed into the goal by Aymeric Laporte. In a 2–1 away victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals on April 28, he scored a goal. De Bruyne suffered a head injury while colliding with Antonio Rüdiger in the second half of the Champions League Final on Saturday, but his team lost 1–0 against his former club Chelsea. After the game, medical scans revealed De Bruyne to have acute nose bone and left orbital fractures, putting further doubt on his participation in the rescheduled UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.

Kevin was named PFA Player of the Year at the end of the season.

In City's 5–1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on May 11, De Bruyne's first hat-trick with the club and the third fastest in Premier League history. "Twenty-three minutes of football genius," Sky Sports commentator Andy Hinchcliffe said, and "De Bruyne's 'wrong-footed' hat-trick was one of the finest Premier League performances ever" and Jeremy Wilson, writing in The Daily Telegraph, said. De Bruyne received the Premier League Player of the Season award for the fourth time in his career, more than once. For the fourth time, he went on to win Manchester City's Player of the Year award. As a result, Richard Dunne was named for the Most Player of the Year awards at the club.

International career

At under-18, under-19, and under-21 level, De Bruyne was captained by Belgium. On August 11, 2010 he made his Belgian senior squad's international friendly against Finland in Turku, but Belgium lost 1–0, with Belgium losing 1–0. De Bruyne had the opportunity to play for Burundi, his mother's birthplace, before making his full debut for Belgium's senior team.

De Bruyne made his Belgium team's squad during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament, where he scored four goals as the Red Devils qualified for their first major tournament in 12 years.

He was named in Belgium's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup on May 13, 2014. De Bruyne assisted Marouane Fellaini's equalizer and was named man of the match by FIFA in their first game of the tournament, against Algeria in Belo Horizonte. Belgium defeated the United States 2–1 in the third minute of extra time in the third minute of extra time in the third minute of extra time.

In a 6–0 victory over Andorra in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, De Bruyne scored twice, equaling the team's record triumph in a European qualifier set in 1986. In a 3–1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on September 3, 2015, De Bruyne scored in a 3–1 victory. De Bruyne beat Andorra 4–1, securing Belgium's place in the UEFA Euro 2016 finals on October 10, 2015. In a 3–1 victory over Israel, he secured Belgium's top-spot in the league three days later. De Bruyne was selected for Belgium's final 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016 on May 31, 2016. De Bruyne was praised for his part in Belgium's 3–0 victory over the Republic of Ireland on June 18, 2016. De Bruyne was named BBC Man of the Match on June 26, 2016, after his appearance in a 4–0 victory over Hungary in the round of 16, where he gave two assists.

De Bruyne was selected for Belgium's final 23-man team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. De Bruyne helped Romelu Lukaku win by 3–0 on June 18th, in the first game against debutants Panama. In a 2–1 quarter-final victory over Brazil, he scored his second goal of the match and was named Man of the match on July 6th. Belgium was defeated 1–0 by eventual champions France in the semi-finals. Belgium defeated England 2–0 in the third-place play-off on July 14th.

De Bruyne scored his first and the winning goal in Belgium's second match of UEFA Euro 2020, defeating Denmark 2–1. He had also played a role in the team's first goal. De Bruyne sustained an ankle injury from a tackle from behind in round 16 against Portugal's Joao Palhinha. Despite not training all week and being later confirmed in the starting lineup, Belgium boss Roberto Martinez said on July 2nd that De Bruyne might recover in time for the quarter-final match, later that day.

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