Former Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne has made an emotional statement that reveals why he didn’t want to sign for another Premier League club.
The Belgian international ended his ten year stay in Manchester at the end of last season as he signed for Italian champions Napoli on a free transfer. De Bruyne was officially unveiled as a Napoli player on Saturday and broke his silence on why he didn’t sign for another Premier League club.
“I have been in the Premier League for so long and in the end
I made the decision to go out of England,” de Bruyne said on Saturday. “I have done what I have done and in the end I am a Man City player for life. It was also with the way that it ended for me, I thought, it is time to find a new challenge.”
De Bruyne’s words end speculation that he was driven out of the Etihad Stadium after his contract was not renewed at the end of the season and the maestro went on to speak about continuing to play at the highest level, which is why he signed for Napoli.
“When I had the whole project in front of me and then the fact that I could play in Italy and still play at a high level was exciting for me. Napoli already are champions but they are still improving their squad. I am hoping that I can help the team grow and I will also learn from them, a new way of playing, a new competition.”
De Bruyne joins his Belgian compatriot, Romelu Lukaku, at Napoli and both will be hopign they can spearhead the Italian side to league and European glory.
King Kev signed for City under former manager Manuel Pellegrini in August 2015, a move that was initially mocked by pundits due to his time at Chelsea, where the Belgian failed to make an impression and eventually moved to Wolfsburg. His £58m move to City turned out to be instrumental as de Bruyne took the Premier League by storm, becoming one of the best midfielders in the country.
De Bruyne went on to make 422 appearances for the Blues, scoring 108 goals in the process. But it was his assists that he will be best remembered for. In 288 Premier League appearances, de Bruyne racked up an incredible 119 assists, and is the second all-time assist king in Premier League history.
He left City after a trophy-laden career that saw him win six Premier League titles, Two FA Cups, Five League Cups, three Community Shields and, of course, a Champions League and European Super Cup title and a FIFA Club World Cup medal.
De Bruyne leaves the Blues as one of the best midfielders ever to grace the sky blue shirt and we all wish him well in Italy.
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