Football

De Bruyne to Napoli, a new leader for the Italian champions' ambitions

The Belgian footballer is preparing to become the new face of the Neapolitan club, arousing curiosity and some questions about the motivations behind his choice

28 May 2025

4' min read

With him it will be the start of a new beginning. The first prestigious arrival to reaffirm that, once the big party is over, Conte or no Conte, we must start thinking about the future again. A future that is just around the corner, on 23 August 2025, when the championship merry-go-round will begin again. With the tricolour on the chest, though. Which makes all the difference.

Here he is, the now certain new Parthenopean leader. He is red-haired, which is unusual for a footballer in Naples, 34 years old next 28 June and a CV that is enough for the name: Kevin de Bruyne, a Belgian star with Pep Guardiola's City, the coach who, along with a few other giants of the bench (Bearzot, Sacchi, Trapattoni, Ancelotti, Capello, Lippi and so on), has reshaped football.

But now that the official announcement is getting closer and closer ('Yes, he will also raise the Cup, but until it is black and white, I won't add anything else,' says president De Laurentiis, superstitiously), don't ask anything more about his past to this extraordinary former golden boy who has collected 72 goals and 119 assists in the Premier League. A prolific midfielder who scored 30 goals in 109 games with the Belgian national team. A serious player, reserved but not edgy. A man who takes responsibility. Who does not shirk. Never expelled: and that too is a good calling card of his reliability and fair play.

Only once did he lose his temper: it was when a journalist, after Belgium's elimination from Euro 2024, asked him if he didn't think, as captain, that his golden generation had missed out on another great opportunity to make their mark on football. And Kevin, calling him 'stupid', stormed out of the press room and replied: 'But do you think France, Spain, England and Germany don't also have a golden generation?

Two questions about De Bruyne remain, however. The first is: why Napoli? Why did a talent who has won 22 trophies (including a Champions League and a World Club Championship) and is in demand at Liverpool, Chicago and many others decide to accept De Laurentiis' invitation?

The second, concerns his identity card: 34 years old is not young even for a star player of his calibre. Won't he come to the Gulf just to admire the sunsets and fatten his already sizeable bank account?

These doubts do not undermine the trust of the fans. Nor of the club and the other players. Starting with two friends who know him well: one is Juan Jesus, who has already sent him a welcome message ("We are waiting for you KDB!"). The other is Lukaku, also Belgian, who is also very close to Kevin due to the common events in the national team.

Kevin does not feel like a player at the end of his career. Physically he is well and has the qualities to play two more years at a high level in a league, the Italian one, which is less wearing in terms of intensity and speed than a Premier League. It is no coincidence that after his last game with City against Fulham ('the last dance'), De Bruyne said that he will not participate in the Club World Cup in the United States, where there is the risk of suffering an injury that could preclude him from a new contract.

There are also other reasons, not so trivial, that attract him to Naples. One is preciselythe city's climate and the beauty of the Gulf and the seafront.

His wife Michele Delacroix, with their three children, is delighted with this solution. No more Belgian rain and gloomy Manchester skies. It is no coincidence that with the lawyers who are filing the contract (a 10 million per season deal, spread over two or three years), Michele had come to scout for a villa (apparently at Posillipo) that would meet all the needs of a footballer not used to the pressure of a 'hot' environment like the Neapolitan one.

On the question of physical integrity, KDB answers with numbers, having missed only five out of 38 league games. And if he has not played them all full-time, it is, if anything, down to Guardiola's concern about entrusting the team to a departing leader. While waiting for the official announcement, one wonders if De Bruyne has the 'right' characteristics for a team like Napoli.

As always, this will be seen in the course of the game. But one thing can be reiterated: the Belgian is one of the last leaders of a football that generates fewer and fewer leaders. A regista-refinisher, with a licence to score, whose mould is lost. Very technical, certainly, but also physical and of movement, as modern football requires.

He is not a gentleman with soft feet. His baptism of fire was in 2012 when he arrived at Chelsea. He was 21 years old but in London he found Mourinho who sent him to the Bundesliga to cut his teeth. Often a little underestimated, Kevin had to pull out his nails to prove on the pitch that he was City material in order to make a name for himself, which is not easy, especially with Guardiola, who demands substance more than flattery.

Another, more personal affair that marked him was when his first partner left him for another footballer (Thibaut Courtois) who went on to a career.

A powerful crash from which the Belgian has since emerged well, rebuilding a new family with Michele.

Also very active in the social field, Kevin, who speaks four languages (Dutch, French, English and German), donates one per cent of his salary to charities such as the International Red Cross and also helps in the fight against cancer and disabilities. A footballer who is not closed in his bubble, in short, and who, precisely because of his strong personality, attracts other champions, such as striker Jonathan David, who is also released, and who is waiting for a definitive okay from Napoli. Two luxury free agents so as not to break the virtuous economic cycle of the club. Little expense, good return, says a proverb dear to De Laurentiis.