Critics point out that it was careless, with Kevin De Bruyne (33, Manchester City), the “golden generation of Belgium” in the past, shocking everyone by hinting at his retirement from the national team.
The Bruyne started in the second leg of the 2024-2025 UEFA Nations League Group A Group 2 away match against France at the Grupama Stadium in Lyon, France, on the 10th (Korea time), but failed to prevent his own Belgium’s 0-2 defeat.
Belgium lost consecutive goals to Randal Kolo Muani in the 29th minute of the first half and Usman Dembele in the 13th minute of the second half. However, the team lost in vain as it failed to make any goal against the French defense.
After the game, The Bruyne made “bomb remarks” that could be interpreted as an indication of his retirement. He talked seriously with sports director Perkouteran on his face. This was captured on the screen.
British media Sports Bible said, “The Bruyne seemed to say, ‘I’m quitting, I’m giving up.’ The Bruyne decided to retire from the Belgian national team after his team was disappointed in the match following Euro 2024.
The Bruyne was the core of the “golden generation” Belgian national team, which included Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Marouane Fellaini, Bangsang Kompany and Thibaut Courtois.
He was the only member of the “golden generation” to start the game. 메이저사이트
“I can’t tell you what’s wrong here. I already told my team at half-time,” De Bruyne said when asked a flurry of questions right after the game. “I can’t repeat this to the media, but I have to get better in every way. If the standard we’re trying to reach is the highest level, if we can’t reach that level anymore, we have to do everything. Otherwise, it’s over.”
De Bruyne, who made the semifinals at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, seems to have judged the current situation in Belgium as hopeless.
“Compared to 2018, we’re not good now. I was the first to notice it. I won’t tell you what it is,” he said when looking back on the match against France, he pointed out, “We were behind too many. If six people stay behind, we can’t make a connection. That can’t be helped. This is not a matter of transition, it’s a matter of people not doing their jobs.”
In response, Belgian coach Domenico Tedesco (39) said, “It is natural for him to be disappointed. He can react emotionally because he is our captain and has a great sense of victory.” He did not think much of his remarks as an exaggeration.
According to British media Sport Witness, Toby Alderweireld (35), a former Tottenham football analyst, is not happy with The Bruyne’s remarks.
“He had to protect his teammates, but he’s acting completely differently,” he said. “Of course, it’s a difficult problem. There could be noise in the locker room. In this situation, however, he has to move on to the original team. His interview made it difficult. Now, he is going his own way. It seems that this will continue for a while. It cannot be solved immediately. But if the silence continues, this complicated problem will not be solved easily.”
Alderweireld looked at the remarks of “captain” De Bruyne, who should lead the national team well, “suggesting retirement.”
Meanwhile, according to foreign media NHL, The Bruyne, who hinted at retirement, visited the hospital 12 hours after the “bomb talk” and made an official appearance as a supporter of the “Ronald McDonald House,” but declined to comment when asked about “football.”
The media reported, “The Bruyne spent about 20 minutes listening to the speech in the hospital, sometimes looking at his wife Michelle. She whispered something in her ear. It was probably about a lot of media attention.”
According to the NHL, De Bruyne declined to comment after the event, saying, “Now is not the time to talk about soccer.” The media outlet said, “We asked about his future with the Belgian national team, but De Bruyne remained silent. What does this silence mean? Time will tell.”
