Kevin De Bruyne says he wants to QUIT Belgium’s national team in new squad civil war as he accuses team-mates of ‘not doing their jobs’ – but manager tells Man City superstar, 33, to ‘calm down’
Kevin De Bruyne’s Belgian career is in the doldrums after the Manchester City star told sporting director Frank Vercauteren: “I’m quitting”, before having a remarkable post-match outburst.
The explosion came after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to France, with goals from Randal Kolo Muani and Ousmane Dembele making the difference in Lyon.
The midfielder was one of the highlights of Belgium during the so-called Golden Generation, which slowly lost its shine. The country did not reach a single major final during that period.
With 107 caps in a 14-year spell representing his country, De Bruyne’s loyalty has been unwavering thus far. In fact, he was the only member of that once-promising group of players to play in France on Monday.
But last night’s tantrum has thrown his future in Domenico Tedesco’s team up in the air after he criticised his teammates and the team’s tactics in an interview following the defeat. HLN defeated.
Kevin De Bruyne’s Belgian career is on the rocks after an extraordinary post-match outburst
De Bruyne approached technical director Frank Vercauteren (right) and appeared to make it clear he wanted to ‘quit’, before leaving for France and Real Madrid player Kylian Mbappe (centre)
An irritated Belgian captain then went to bat for the media and did not hold back
Shortly after the final whistle, De Bruyne approached Vercauteren and appeared to make it clear that he wanted to ‘quit’. He then went to talk to France and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé.
An exasperated Belgian captain then addressed the media and was asked whether the opponent had been the better team.
He replied, ‘Yes, that’s right. There’s not much to say about that.’
De Bruyne then criticised Belgium’s poor display throughout the match, with the Red Devils having plenty of possession but creating little.
However, he refused to blame pre-match tactics, preferring to direct his anger at individuals.
“We were six down,” he said. There was no connection. Not in the second half either. You’re behind, right?
“I wonder what you see in the game. It’s not about the transitions. It’s about the way of playing and people not doing their job.”
When asked what needed to be improved, De Bruyne gave a brutal answer, calling certain aspects of the performance “unacceptable.”
The explosion came after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to France
Goals from Randal Kolo Muani (pictured) and Ousmane Dembele made the difference
The midfielder was one of Belgium’s leading figures during a so-called Golden Generation that fell short at every major tournament, including the 2018 World Cup (pictured).
He said, ‘It has to be better in every way.
“The standard is the top. If you can’t handle the top, you’re not good enough.”
‘And then you have to give everything on the field. Some people don’t even do that.
‘I can accept that we are not that good. I am also the first to say that in the past.
“But other things are unacceptable. I’m not going to elaborate on that. I did that when I was eighteen at Racing Genk.
‘Now I’m 33 and I don’t do that anymore.’
The division within the camp only grew as Tedesco answered questions from reporters and the coach urged his captain to “stay calm.”
He said, ‘I didn’t see the interview. After the huddle, I spoke to Kevin.
Vercauteren has been technical director for just over a year and has had to deal with the wrath of De Bruyne
Domenico Tedesco said: ‘Am I afraid he will stop playing international? You shouldn’t talk about that now. Everyone needs to calm down’
Belgium’s next match is a big Nations League clash against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico
“You know, it’s normal for him to be disappointed. We all are. Kevin is a winner. He was emotional. And sometimes you can say things like that.
‘Am I afraid that he will stop playing international? You shouldn’t talk about that now. Everyone needs to calm down.’
Belgium’s next match is a key Nations League clash against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in exactly one month’s time. It remains to be seen whether one of the country’s all-time greats will lead his team that night.