Since he got injured on August 11th, we have hardly received any updates on Kevin De Bruyne (32). However, he changed that himself on Wednesday by bringing the trophies of Manchester City to Gent. “I have never had such a serious ιnjury, but all things considered, this has been a good moment to experience it,” he told the 700 fans present.
The trophies of Manchester City are working overtime. The Triple Trophy Tour started in early October in Abu Dhabi, the home country of the club owners. Last weekend, they were in Bryne, Norway, the hometown of Erling Haaland, and made a stop in the capital city of Oslo. And on Wednesday afternoon, they were in Gent, the birthplace of Kevin De Bruyne. Over 700 fans took photos with the trophies of the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, and European Suρer Cup at the Music Center De Bijloke.
“This is truly a proud moment for me,” said Kevin De Bruyne, who traveled to Gent for a live Q&A session with Geert De Vlieger, former goalkeeper of Manchester City and currently a presenter at Play Sports. “Being able to show these trophies to so many people, I am grateful to experience that. Winning the treble is something you don’t even think about, not even last year. Actually, there is no time to dwell on it because our schedule is so busy. You just have to be ready to perform every few days and you can’t look too far ahead. Will winning the Premier League become a habit? It really, really isn’t. Arsenal pushed us hard last season.”
“For the Champions League, we had to work the hardest, that’s true. We had really difficult and painful moments in it, like the lost final against Chelsea (in 2021). Of course, it’s unfortunate that I got injured twice myself, but those collisions with Rüdiger, those things happen. I had been struggling with my hamstring for two months already last season, but it was in the week before the Champions League final that I felt the best. And then my body decides it’s had enough.”
At the beginning of this season, everything seemed fine, but during the first league match on August 11th, KDB had to come off again after just 26 minutes. This time, it was a completely torn hamstring. “I have never experienced this before; I have never had such a serious ιnjury,” he said about it. “A hamstring surgery is also not very common. After the match against Burnley, we took scans, sent them to different surgeons, and they all said that I needed surgery.”
“It has been three months now, and I’m doing very well; we are on schedule. I underwent my surgery with Geert Declercq, and City is in daily contact with him and Lieven Maesschalck. But they haven’t given me a timeframe for when I will be able to play again. They want everything to be completely fine when I return. This is an ιnjury due to the accumulation of matches and risks I have taken throughout my career. I have already played over 700 matches. You can actually compare it to a car that needed major maintenance at the garage.”
He cannot sаy when he will be match fit again, but when De Vlieger brings up the upcoming European Championship next summer, the captain of the Belgian national team responds with enthusiasm. Can KDB finally win a trophy with Belgium in 2024? “That would be very nice, but it’s not that easy. I’m very curious to see how it will go. I’m disappointed that I have missed all the international breaks since March because it was a very good start to a new era. I have watched a few matches, but I haven’t really been able to witness the team’s evolution. I look forward to seeing that.”
He concludes on a positive note, referring back to his ιnjury. “On the other hand, I have had a period where, for the first time, I could really think about how to maintain myself at the highest level, as a player and as a person. Things that I don’t have time for during the season because it’s too busy. I also had to convince my wife to let me play for a few more years because my family is getting used to having dad at home so often. But all in all, it has been a good moment to experience this.”
