Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne
(Age 31 Yr. )
Personal Life
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | Belgium |
| Profession | Football Player |
| Place | Drongen, Ghent, Belgium |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 5 feet 11 inches |
| Weight | 70 kg ( approx. ) |
| Body Measurements | Chest 40 inches, Waist 30 inches, Biceps 13.5 inches |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Hair Color | Light Golden Brown |
Family
| Parents | Father: Herwig de Bruyne Mother: Anne de Bruyne |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Michele Lacroix |
| Childern/Kids | Son: - Mason Milian De Bruyne |
| Siblings | Sister: Stefanie De Bruyne |
Kevin De Bruyne is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and captains the Belgium national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world. 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 equalled 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 26 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 was named in the FIFA World Cup Dream Team of the 2018 FIFA World Cup as Belgium finished in third place, as well as appearing in UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
De Bruyne has been named in the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season and IFFHS Men's World Team five times each, the ESM Team of the Year four times, the FIFA FIFPRO World 11 and UEFA 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.
Club career
Genk
De Bruyne began his career with hometown club KVV Drongen in 1997. Two years later, he joined Gent and moved to Genk in 2005. De Bruyne continued his development in their youth set-up and was rewarded for his progress by being promoted to the first team squad in 2008. From an Interview with his youth club, it was revealed that De Bruyne was a Liverpool fan and admirer of Michael Owen.
De Bruyne made his first team debut for Genk in a 3–0 defeat at Charleroi on 9 May 2009. Having established himself in the team the following season, on 7 February 2010, De Bruyne scored his first goal for the club, which secured all three points for Genk in a 1–0 win against Standard Liège. He scored five goals and made 16 assists in 32 league matches during the 2010–11 season as Genk were crowned Belgian champions for the third time. On 29 October 2011, De Bruyne scored his first hat-trick for Genk against Club Brugge, which ended in a 5–4 win for Genk. On 28 January 2012, De Bruyne scored a brace against OH Leuven in a 5–0 win. On 18 February 2012, De Bruyne scored his first goal back at Genk following his agreed transfer to Chelsea and also assisted the other goal in a 1–2 away win against Mons. De Bruyne ended the season by wrapping up the scoring in a 3–1 victory over Gent. He finished the league campaign with eight goals from 28 appearances.
Chelsea
On 31 January 2012, on the winter transfer deadline day, Premier League club Chelsea and Genk announced the permanent signing of De Bruyne, with the fee rumoured to be in the region of £7 million. He signed a five-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge, but would stay at Genk for the remainder of the 2011–12 season. De Bruyne told the club website, “To come to a team like Chelsea is a dream but now I have to work hard to achieve the level that's necessary.” On 18 July 2012, De Bruyne made his debut for Chelsea in a friendly match against Major League Soccer (MLS) side Seattle Sounders FC in a 4–2 win. De Bruyne also played the first half against Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain at Yankee Stadium, New York City.
Wolfsburg
De Bruyne began the season by winning the 2015 DFL-Supercup against Bayern Munich, providing the cross for Nicklas Bendtner's 89th-minute equaliser for a 1–1 draw and then scoring in the subsequent penalty shootout.[44] On 8 August 2015, he continued his good form by scoring his first goal of the season, and providing two assists in a 4–1 win at Stuttgarter Kickers in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.
In August, in the midst of transfer speculation, De Bruyne said that he would not force Wolfsburg to sell him, but also said that he could not ignore interest from Manchester City, saying: “If an offer does come, I will hear about it and how much it is, but I have not yet heard anything... I would not go to England just to prove that I can play there. I do not have to go to England... If I go there it's because for me and for my family it is a good choice. That's the key for me.”
On 10 August, it was reported that Manchester City had made a second bid for De Bruyne worth £47 million. Wolfsburg sporting director, Klaus Allofs, said the club would fight to keep him, saying “I think some other clubs have definitely turned Kevin’s head... Some huge figures are doing the rounds and I can understand why Kevin is leaving everything open.” On 27 August, it was reported that City had made a further bid for De Bruyne worth £58 million. Klaus Allofs said that City had made an "astonishing" wage offer to De Bruyne.
Manchester City
2015-2016 season
On 30 August 2015, Manchester City announced the arrival of De Bruyne on a six-year contract, for a reported club-record fee of £55 million (€75 million), making him the second most expensive transfer in British football history after Ángel Di María's move to Manchester United in 2014. He made his debut for the team in the Premier League on 12 September against Crystal Palace, replacing the injured Sergio Agüero in the 25th minute. On 19 September, he scored his first goal for the club against West Ham United in first half stoppage time in an eventual 2–1 loss. He went on to score in a 4–1 League Cup win against Sunderland, on 22 September and a 4–1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on 26 September. On 3 October, he scored in the team's 6–1 win against Newcastle United.
On 2 October, De Bruyne was announced as one of the players on the longlist for the prestigious FIFA Ballon d'Or award, alongside teammates Agüero and Yaya Touré. Just 18 days later, on 20 October he was revealed by FIFA as one of the players on the 23-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or. On 21 October, De Bruyne scored an injury-time winner against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League, to take City within one point of group leaders Juventus, with three games remaining. On 1 December, he scored a brace in a 4–1 win over Hull City to send Manchester City through to the semi-finals of the Football League Cup.
2016-2017 season
On 10 September 2016, De Bruyne scored and assisted in the first Manchester derby of the season which City won 2–1 and was awarded the Man of the Match. On 17 September 2016, De Bruyne was awarded the Man of the Match, in a 4–0 win over Bournemouth. De Bruyne scored the first, assisted the fourth, and provided key passes on both the second and third goals. After the international break, Manchester City drew their next game, against Everton, played on 15 October 2016 with the scoreline finishing at 1–1. Agüero and De Bruyne both missed their penalties while Nolito came off the bench to equalise for City. On 1 November, De Bruyne scored from a free kick in the team's 3–1 win over FC Barcelona. On 21 January 2017, De Bruyne was involved in both of City's goals, as he netted once himself and also assisted Leroy Sané's, in a 2–2 home draw with Tottenham Hotspur; he was subsequently named man of the match. On 19 March 2017, De Bruyne displayed an excellent performance in a 1–1 draw against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, where he set up a goal for Agüero.
2020-2021 season
On 21 September 2020, De Bruyne scored and assisted in a 3–1 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in City's first game of the season. With the crucial visit of the Premier League champions, Liverpool, De Bruyne assisted Gabriel Jesus' equalizer before winning a penalty, which he subsequently fired wide. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. On 7 April, De Bruyne signed a four-year contract after negotiating it with help of statistical data to make case for a 30% pay increase.
On 25 April 2021, De Bruyne's free-kick was headed into the goal by Aymeric Laporte, allowing City to win 1–0 against Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. On 28 April, he scored a goal in a 2–1 away win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals. On 29 May, De Bruyne had a head injury after colliding with Antonio Rüdiger in the second half of the Champions League Final, to be substituted by Gabriel Jesus; however, his team lost 1–0 against his former club Chelsea. Medical scans after the game revealed De Bruyne to have suffered acute nose bone and left orbital fractures, placing doubt on his participation in the rescheduled UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.
At the end of the season, Kevin was awarded with the PFA Player's Player Of The Year award.
2021-2022 season
On 11 May 2022, De Bruyne scored four goals inside 24 minutes in City's 5–1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, his first hat-trick with the club and the third-quickest in Premier League history. Sky Sports commentator Andy Hinchcliffe described the feat as "Twenty-three minutes of footballing genius" and Jeremy Wilson, writing in The Daily Telegraph, said "De Bruyne's 'wrong-footed' hat-trick was one of the best displays in Premier League history". De Bruyne was again bestowed with the Premier League Player of the Season award, becoming the fourth player to win the award more than once. He also went on to win Manchester City's Player of the Year award for the fourth time. As a result, he tied Richard Dunne for the most player of the year awards at the club.
International career
De Bruyne was capped by Belgium at under-18, under-19, and under-21 level. He made his debut for the Belgian senior team on 11 August 2010 in an international friendly against Finland in Turku; the game ended in a 1–0 loss for Belgium. Before making his full debut for Belgium's senior side, De Bruyne was eligible to play for Burundi, his mother's birthplace.
De Bruyne became a regular member of Belgium's team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, where he scored four goals as the Red Devils qualified for their first major tournament in 12 years.
2014–2016: First World Cup and Euro appearances
On 13 May 2014, he was named in Belgium's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In their first game of the tournament, against Algeria in Belo Horizonte, De Bruyne assisted Marouane Fellaini's equaliser and was named man of the match by FIFA. In the round of 16, De Bruyne scored Belgium's opening goal in the third minute of extra time as they defeated the United States 2–1.
On 10 October 2014, De Bruyne scored twice in a 6–0 rout of Andorra in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, equaling the team's record victory in a European qualifier set in 1986. On 3 September 2015, De Bruyne scored in a 3–1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 10 October 2015, De Bruyne scored in a 4–1 win over Andorra, which secured Belgium's place at the UEFA Euro 2016 finals. Three days later, he scored in a 3–1 win over Israel, securing Belgium top-spot in the group. On 31 May 2016, De Bruyne was selected for Belgium's final 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016. On 18 June 2016, De Bruyne was praised for his performance in Belgium's 3–0 win over the Republic of Ireland. On 26 June 2016, De Bruyne was voted BBC Man of the Match for his performance in a 4–0 win over Hungary in the round of 16, where he provided two assists.
2016–2018: 2018 World Cup
De Bruyne was selected for Belgium's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 18 June, in the opening game against debutants Panama, De Bruyne provided an assist for Romelu Lukaku in an eventual 3–0 win. On 6 July, he scored the second goal of the match in a 2–1 quarter-final victory over Brazil and was named the man of the match. In the semi-finals, Belgium were defeated 1–0 by eventual champions France. On 14 July, Belgium defeated England 2–0 in the third-place play-off.
2018–2022: Euro 2020 and 2022 World Cup
On 17 June 2021, De Bruyne scored his first and the winning goal in Belgium's second match of UEFA Euro 2020, a 2–1 win over Denmark, having earlier in the game assisted the team's first goal. During the round of 16 clash with Portugal, De Bruyne suffered an ankle injury from a tackle from behind, by Portugal's Joao Palhinha. On 2 July Belgium manager Roberto Martinez said that De Bruyne could recover in time for the quarter-final match, later that day, despite not training all week and he was later confirmed in the starting line-up.
De Bruyne started all three games in the 2022 FIFA World Cup as Belgium were eliminated in the group stage.
2022–present: Assuming the captaincy
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.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Genk | 2008–09 | Belgian First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2009–10 | Belgian Pro League | 35 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 3 | ||
| 2010–11 | Belgian Pro League | 32 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 6 | ||
| 2011–12 | Belgian Pro League | 28 | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 8 | ||
| Total | 97 | 16 | 3 | 0 | — | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 113 | 17 | |||
| Chelsea | 2012–13 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| Werder Bremen (loan) | 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 33 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 34 | 10 | |||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 16 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 3 | |||
| 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 34 | 10 | 6 | 1 | — | 11 | 5 | — | 51 | 16 | |||
| 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |||
| Total | 52 | 13 | 9 | 2 | — | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 73 | 20 | |||
| Manchester City | 2015–16 | Premier League | 25 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 3 | — | 41 | 16 | |
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 36 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | 49 | 7 | ||
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 37 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 1 | — | 52 | 12 | ||
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 19 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 6 | |
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 35 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 16 | |
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 25 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 3 | — | 40 | 10 | ||
| 2021–22 | Premier League | 30 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 19 | |
| 2022–23 | Premier League | 28 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 7 | |
| Total | 235 | 62 | 24 | 8 | 26 | 10 | 61 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 348 | 93 | ||
| Career total | 420 | 101 | 37 | 10 | 29 | 10 | 86 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 577 | 140 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2010 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2014 | 11 | 4 | |
| 2015 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2016 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 99 | 26 | |
As of match played 28 March 2023
Belgium score listed first, score column indicates score after each De Bruyne goal.
Honours
Genk
Belgian Pro League: 2010–11
Belgian Cup: 2008–09
Belgian Super Cup: 2011
VfL Wolfsburg
DFB-Pokal: 2014–15
DFL-Supercup: 2015
Manchester City
Premier League: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22
FA Cup: 2018–19
Football League Cup/EFL Cup: 2015–16,[220] 2017–18,[221] 2018–19,[222] 2019–20,[223] 2020–21
FA Community Shield: 2019
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2020–21
Belgium
FIFA World Cup third place: 2018