Tag: Kevin De Bruyne

Man City star De Bruyne to miss 3-4 months with hamstring injury

The Belgium star may not play again until 2024

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne is set to miss up to four months with a hamstring injury, head coach Pep Guardiola said on Tuesday.

De Bruyne initially injured his right hamstring in June’s Champions League final against Inter, coming off in the first half of a game City would eventually win 1-0.

After spending the summer working his way back to fitness, De Bruyne suffered a recurrence of the injury in last week’s Premier League opener against Burnley.

At a press conference before Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, Guardiola confirmed the Belgian’s injury was severe and may require surgery.

“Kevin De Bruyne’s injury is serious one. He will be out for a few months,” Guardiola said. “We have to decide in the next days on surgery but for sure we lose Kevin for some time. We will decide in the next days. Surgery is surgery — three or four months out.

“The injury for Kevin is a blow, a big loss. He has specific qualities. For a long time is really tough for us. We have to look forward. We have alternatives. Kevin is irreplaceable, but we have talented players. They will take it.”

Guardiola denied that he and his staff rushed the 32-year-old back too quickly, saying: “We could say don’t play but this injury could happen later. Before I took the decision I spoke to the doctor, the physio and him. He said he felt good.”

De Bruyne scored 10 goals and added 31 assists last season as City won the treble, clinching the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.

With two weeks left until the transfer window closes, Guardiola said City may look to bring in another player to help replace De Bruyne.

As if City will try to make a signing, Guardiola said: “We will see. After what happened we will see the possibilities.”

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Not again! De Bruyne exits second straight Champions League final with injury

A real blow for Man City’s hopes

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne was a shock early substitution in Saturday’s Champions League final against Inter.

The Belgium playmaker had to come off after just 36 minutes, with Pep Guardiola bringing Phil Foden on for Man City. De Bruyne appeared to be struggling with a thigh issue in the minutes before that, receiving treatment once before.

The 31-year-old attempted to play on, but after having to attempt a sprint, sat down on the pitch at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.

De Bruyne has had some miserable luck in the Champions League final. He was forced off at the hour mark in 2021 after a collision left him with multiple facial fractures. Man City would go on to lose that match 1-0 to Chelsea.

 

Man City would go on to win the Champions League 1-0.

More to follow…

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Real Madrid vs. Man City defined by two world-class goals

Vini Jr. and De Bruyne’s goals were both just *chef’s kiss*

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City in a Champions League semifinal? Those words virtually guarantee golazos, and both teams delivered on Tuesday.

Vinícius Jr. and Kevin De Bruyne scored on incredible strikes in a tense 1-1 first-leg draw that underlined what two of the world’s top teams are capable of.

Man City did well to manage the early stages of the game, keeping Real Madrid at bay, only for Vini Jr. to continue his scintillating form by providing the opening goal. Los Blancos‘ breakthrough came on an absolute rocket from the Brazil attacker, who turned some excellent work from Eduardo Camavinga into a shot that nearly ripped a hole in the net.

“A great strike, a fantastic moment,” manager Carlo Ancelotti told BT Sport following the game. “An interesting game. Difficult for us in the first half, and the second half was much better. We had good control in the game.”

The Santiago Bernabeu was buzzing, but a typically well-worked Man City move turned into a 67th minute equalizer thanks to an unreal strike from De Bruyne. Jack Grealish and Ilkay Gündoğan brought the ball into the area, with the latter turning to lay the ball off for De Bruyne.

From 23 yards, De Bruyne used utterly perfect shooting form to produce a thunderbolt that was still rising as it flew past Thibaut Courtois.

The goal marked the third year running that De Bruyne has scored at this stage of the Champions League, a mark of the consistency of both player and club.

“He [De Bruyne] is a massive player for us,” Man City’s Rodri told BT Sport after the match. “Always he has been great, and he helped us in the moment we most needed it. We were suffering a bit because they were keeping the ball and with the goal he gave us the confidence to keep pushing. It is a good result for us.”

Pep Guardiola agreed with Ancelotti’s analysis of how the game played out, noting that “When we were better, they score. When they were better, we score.”

Grealish may have had the best summary of the level of play, the goals, the atmosphere, and everything else, telling BT Sport that he had a great time.

“I loved it, man,” said Grealish. “You can have a few nerves but these are the nights you play football for and dream of. At a stadium and a game like this, it’s like a dream come true.”

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Man City trounce Arsenal, seize control in the Premier League

Only one team showed up for the biggest game of the Premier League season

If you want to win the Premier League, you still have to go through Manchester City.

Arsenal is the latest club to find that out the hard way, as Man City’s utterly dominant 4-1 win turned the hotly anticipated top-of-the-table clash on Wednesday into a rout.

Arsenal came into the match with a five-point lead atop the table, but were also the team under far more pressure. Putting aside Man City’s 3-1 win in London back in February and any mind games played by Pep Guardiola — though the manager has been busy on that front — there’s just the raw math: on April 1, Arsenal were eight points clear atop the table with one game in hand.

Since then? The Gunners have settled for three straight draws, while Man City won their only two league matches. When this match kicked off, Man City’s two games in hand meant that they, not Arsenal, controlled the destiny of the Premier League title this season.

In front of their own fans, Man City made that control clear by dominating play from start to finish. Kevin De Bruyne thought he’d won a third minute penalty, only for both referee Michael Oliver and a VAR check to ignore his pleas.

If you’re De Bruyne, there’s only one answer to a situation like that: score a goal that doesn’t need any help. As much as Man City are thought of as eschewing long balls, it started with a Route One hoof up to the big fella Erling Haaland, who then set De Bruyne up to juke past Gabriel and fire Man City into the lead.

The Haaland-De Bruyne duo were tormenting Arsenal, with Aaron Ramsdale barely keeping them from a second after superbly-worked raids forward from midfield. Again and again, Man City pulled Arsenal towards midfield, only to break their lines and suddenly have two of the world’s best players running even-number breaks at speed.

Arsenal was just barely hanging on, but by a matter of seconds and inches failed to get into the locker room within one. John Stones headed a De Bruyne free kick home in first-half stoppage time. Before Stones could begin a true celebration, he spotted the flag up for offside, but a 90-second VAR check overturned the initial call, giving Man City a richly deserved two-goal edge.

Arsenal offered a mild pushback to start the half, but Man City seemed to figure them out in short order. Ramsdale somehow kicked away Haaland’s low shot after the Norwegian broke away, but could do nothing on the next surge in the 54th minute.

One again it was a familiar show: the Belgium playmaker intercepted a slow Arsenal pass, played a one-two with Haaland, and De Bruyne did the rest, sparking more jubilation everywhere at the Etihad save for the away end.

Rob Holding would steer home a late face-saving goal for Arsenal after Man City, for the first time all night, switched off as the Gunners recycled a corner, but Arsenal couldn’t even muster much more of a celebration than a couple of pats on the shoulder for the goalscorer.

3-1 didn’t reflect the match that played out, and Haaland made sure to restore Man City’s lead as an exclamation point in stoppage time. Haaland, having lost his hair tie for the final moments of the match, picked up Phil Foden’s pass to score his 49th goal in all competitions.

On top of getting the party going before full time, Haaland’s 33rd Premier League goal broke Mohamed Salah’s record for scoring in a 38-game season.

Between the realities of the table and the nature of Man City’s authoritative win, it feels like the Premier League trophy is going to end up just out of the Gunners’ reach.

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Kevin De Bruyne said Belgium is too old to win the World Cup. Seems like he’s got a point.

The moment may have passed for the Golden Generation

Kevin De Bruyne gave an eye-opening interview to The Guardian this week, in which he suggested that his Belgium side — currently ranked second in FIFA’s world rankings — has “no chance” of wining the World Cup.

“No chance, we’re too old,” De Bruyne said. “I think our chance was 2018. We have a good team, but it is aging. We lost some key players. We have some good new players coming, but they are not at the level other players were in 2018. I see us more as outsiders.”

Was De Bruyne simply trying to take the pressure off his team? Put some of the attention onto himself and away from his teammates?

After Belgium’s first two World Cup games, another possibility emerges: He was just being honest.

After laboring to a 1-0 win over Canada in its opener, Belgium was comprehensively beaten 2-0 by Morocco on Sunday in its second match.

Abdelhamid Sabiri gave Morocco the lead in the second half with a whipped-in free kick that bypassed everyone, including a screened Thibaut Courtois. Zakaria Aboukhlal added a second in stoppage time to put the gloss on Morocco’s third ever win at a World Cup.

This current crop of Belgium players has been referred to as a “Golden Generation” for years now and they have accomplished some big things for a country that has a population in the region of just 12 million.

Notably, the Red Devils finished third at the 2018 World Cup. The problem for Roberto Martinez’s side, though, is that most of those players form the core of this current team as well.

Seven of the 11 players Belgium started against Morocco were 30 or older, with two of them 29 years old. Searching for a late goal, Belgium brought on 35-year-old Dries Mertens and half-fit Romelu Lukaku, among others.

It’s not over for Belgium at this World Cup, and the Red Devils do count among their ranks up-and-coming talents like Charles De Ketelaere and Amadou Onana, both 21.

But it’s seems the Golden Generation’s moment to do something truly special may have passed.

Watch Morocco stun Belgium

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10 best players (Lionel Messi! Cristiano Ronaldo!) at the 2022 World Cup who have never won it all

A look at some of the greatest to ever play the game who have never tasted ultimate international glory.

As the soccer world rolls through Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, there’s inevitably going to be a lot of discussion about “legacy” and superstars who have never quite broken through with a glorious moment in this competition.

I’m talking, of course, about some of the top dynamos in men’s soccer history who have never won the World Cup. To be clear, the players on this list aren’t necessarily to blame for their countries never standing on top of the international soccer world. This is still a team sport where everyone has to play in unison. And the best team — not the best player (awarded the Golden Ball at every tournament) — wins far more often than not.

From perhaps the greatest player in the history of the world’s most popular game to a prolific, talented striker with genuinely no realistic hope of ever winning the World Cup — here’s a look at the 10 best active players who haven’t won the prestigious championship, along with their respective odds to win this year’s Golden Ball. Note: We’re highlighting players who have been around for a good while but have still never made it to the top of the summit.

(All odds courtesy of BetMGM)

Erling Haaland is redefining what’s possible on a weekly basis

It already seems impossible to dream up a ceiling for Haaland’s accomplishments

Erling Haaland has been a Premier League player for two months, and it already seems impossible to dream up a ceiling for his accomplishments.

The Man City star seems to be redefining what’s possible for a striker on a weekly basis. His latest salvo was a hat trick in a 6-3 derby demolition of Manchester United on Sunday.

In stops at Molde, Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund, Haaland proved impossible to stop from scoring. At Manchester City, though, he’s taken it to another level. Rather than facing a learning curve with his move to the Premier League, Haaland is forcing the league to adapt to him.

Week after week, Premier League teams have proven utterly incapable of doing so.

Haaland has played eight Premier League games for Man City thus far; he’s scored 14 goals. He has three hat tricks, one in each of his last three home games.

It almost goes without saying that Haaland’s three hat tricks in his first eight Premier League games is the fastest a player has ever reached that mark. The next quickest? Michael Owen, who took 48 games to accomplish the same feat.

Haaland has been supercharged by his placement in this City team. He already seems to be on a different wavelength with Kevin De Bruyne, who has already assisted five of Haaland’s goals this season.

The latest was a textbook display of the Belgian vision and the Norwegian’s relentless athleticism.

Haaland seems to be aware that playing in this City side has put pretty much any goalscoring feat on the table.

“You can feel it all the time,” Haaland told Sky Sports. “You can see the passes we give each other. We always want to go forward and to attack. It’s what I love about the team. In the end, it’s amazing. There is nothing more to say.”

There will be plenty more to say, though, because the ceiling on what Haaland and City can do this season has been lifted.

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Packers QB Aaron Rodgers swaps jerseys with Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne

Two of the greatest passers in football swapped jerseys in Green Bay on Saturday night.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CgYTuG2oujc/?hl=en

Two of the greatest passers in football swapped uniforms in Green Bay on Saturday night.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne exchanged signed jerseys inside Lambeau Field, according to De Bruyne’s official Instagram account. Rodgers later shared the post on his own official Instagram.

Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP, is a big fan of Man City, one of the top clubs in the English Premier League. In the photo, Rodgers is wearing an older version of Man City’s light blue uniform.

Man City beat Bayern Munich in the first-ever soccer match played at a rain-soaked Lambeau Field on Saturday night. De Bruyne’s build-up play led to Man City’s winning goal 12 minutes into the contest.

On the No. 12 Packers uniform, Rodgers wrote: “Kevin, love watching you play. You’re a legend.”

De Bruyne responded: “To the legend Aaron Rodgers, all the best.”

De Bruyne, a Belgium native, has played for Man City since 2015. He’s since developed into a world-class player and one of the best midfielders in the sport. He’s twice won Playmaker of the Season in the Premier League. Last year, De Bruyne finished second in the league in chances created.

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Kevin De Bruyne puts Man City two wins from title with incredible four-goal display

Kevin De Bruyne outdid himself today, scoring a staggering four goals as Man City closed in on the Premier League title.

Manchester City fans are used to seeing Kevin De Bruyne do the incredible, but he outdid himself on Wednesday.

The Belgium midfielder scored four times as Man City strolled past Wolves 5-1 at Molineux, and the star performance couldn’t have come at a better moment for Pep Guardiola’s side. The win pushed Man City three points clear of Liverpool, with both clubs having just two games left to play.

Beyond being memorable, the goals may be pivotal if the title chase comes down to goal difference. Man City entered the game with a narrow +3 edge over Liverpool on the goal difference tiebreaker, but the huge win against Wolves has increased that margin to +7.

De Bruyne is enjoying a career-best season in front of goal, having now scored 15 times in the league and 19 in all competitions.

Watch all four Kevin De Bruyne goals vs Wolves

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Manchester City vs. Liverpool Live Stream, Premier League Lineups, TV Channel, Start Time

The champions of England will take the field against second-placed Manchester City tonight, stream it here!

Liverpool will enter this game as champions of England when they take the field against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium. This is also the first time Liverpool has taken the field as reigning champions of England since 1991.

Manchester City is not the type of club to sit down for any team and would love a victory against Liverpool in this one.

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Manchester City vs. Liverpool

  • When: Wednesday, July 2
  • Time: 3:10 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: NBCSN, NBC Universo
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

Expect a bevy of goals in this match as Manchester City will want to show up and prove a point to the champions, Liverpool. They were dethroned and that does not sit well with Pep Guardiola or his squad. Liverpool has been very impressive this year and this should be a fantastic match to watch live!

Man City possible starting lineup: Ederson; Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Mendy; De Bruyne, Rodri, Foden; Bernardo, Jesus, Sterling

Liverpool possible starting lineup: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane

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