Kevin De Bruyne appeared to make his intentions on quitting the Belgium team known to technical director Frank Vercauteren during the Red Devils’ 2-0 loss to France.
Shortly after the final whistle, went off, De Bruyne approached Vercauteren and seemingly saying ‘I quit’, before moving on to have a chat with Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe.
The midfielder has been a key member of Belgium’s “Golden Generation,” which has gradually lost its shine as the team has failed to make even one major final during that period.
With 107 caps during a 14-year career as a national team player, De Bruyne’s allegiance has been constant thus far. In fact, he was the only player from that group who was playing in France on Monday.
However, De Bruyne’s outburst last night has thrown his future under manager Domenico Tedesco in the air. The Manchester City midfielder criticised his teammates and the team’s strategy in a post-match interview.
Kevin De Bruyne’s outburst
When asked if the opposition were the better side, De Bruyne replied, as quoted by Mail Sports,
”Yes, that’s right. There’s not much to say about it.”
The Belgium captain then lambasted Belgium’s negative setup throughout the encounter, which saw the Red Devils enjoy plenty of the ball yet generate little of substance.
”We were six at the back,’ he said. There was no connection. Not even in the second half. You’re behind, right?
”I wonder what you see in the match. It is not about transitions. It is about the way of playing and people who do not do their job.”
When asked what could be improved, De Bruyne gave a brutal response, calling some parts of the performance “unacceptable.”
”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. Even that is not done by some.
”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 am not going to dwell on it. I did that when I was eighteen at Racing Genk.
”Now I am 33 and I don’t do that anymore.”
The Belgium team is not new to in-house rift.
Just a few weeks ago, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois announced that he was quitting the national team due to disagreements with coach Domenico Tedesco.
