Kevin De Bruyne was seen with his wife looking sad during a visit to a Belgian charity, just hours after the Manchester City star vowed to “quit” the national team.
The 33-year-old’s extraordinary outburst took place after a lackluster 2-0 defeat at the hands of France, where goals from Randal Kolo Muani and Ousmane Dembele made the difference in Lyon.
Shortly after the final whistle, De Bruyne approached manager Frank Vercauteren and appeared to make clear his desire to “retire”, before heading off to chat with Real Madrid and French forward Kylian Mbappe.
In a brutal post-match interview, the midfielder accused his teammates of “not doing their job” and “not being good enough” for international football.
Now, a pale-faced De Bruyne has returned to the public eye to visit Ronald McDonald House, a centre that provides care for families of sick children, with his wife Michèle Lacroix. HLN information.
Kevin De Bruyne was seen with his wife looking sad during a visit to a Belgian charity centre
A pale-faced De Bruyne appeared in public again to visit the Ronald McDonald House.
Kevin De Bruyne’s Belgium career is in crisis after extraordinary post-match outburst
Asked about what happened the night before, the Belgian said: “This is not the place to talk about football.
‘We are happy to be here. Given our busy schedule it was not easy but we made a commitment to this group and that is why we wanted to be here.
“We are also happy to be able to do this, the organization deserves it.”
Most of the squad travelled straight to their clubs after the painful defeat, but De Bruyne headed to Jette to visit the charity, having landed in Brussels at 3am.
The couple has been supporting the Ronald McDonald Children’s Fund for some time and were visiting the center on their fifth anniversary.
De Bruyne is believed to have made a speech about his patronage of the foundation.
The visit comes after a tantrum that has put his future in Domenico Tedesco’s team in the air.
He told reporters on Monday night: ‘There were six of us at the back.
De Bruyne approached manager Frank Vercauteren (right) and appeared to make clear his desire to “leave the team”, before turning to France and Real Madrid player Kylian Mbappe (centre).
The outburst came after Belgium’s lackluster 2-0 defeat to France on Monday.
The couple has been supporting the Ronald McDonald Children’s Fund for some time.
De Bruyne is believed to have given a speech about his patronage of the foundation.
‘There was no connection. Not even in the second half. You’re losing, aren’t you?’
“I wonder what you see in the game. It’s not about transitions, it’s about the way of playing and people not doing their job.”
Asked what needs to be improved, De Bruyne gave a brutal response, calling certain aspects of the performance “unacceptable.”
He said: ‘It has to be better in every way. The standard is the highest. If you can’t handle the highest, you’re not good enough.
“And then you have to give it your all on the pitch. There are those who don’t even do that.
“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’m not going to dwell on that. I did it when I was eighteen at Racing Genk. Now I’m 33 and I don’t do it anymore.”
The rift within the camp only grew when Tedesco answered questions from reporters, with the coach urging his captain to “calm down.”
An exasperated Belgian captain faced the media and did not hold back last night
The midfielder has been one of Belgium’s standout figures during the so-called Golden Generation, who have failed to live up to expectations at every major tournament, including the 2018 World Cup (pictured).
Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco said: “Am I afraid he’ll stop playing for the national team? We don’t have to talk about it now. Everyone has to calm down.”
Belgium’s next game is a big Nations League clash against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico.
The midfielder has been one of Belgium’s standout figures during the so-called Golden Generation, which has gradually lost its shine and the country has failed to reach any major finals during that time.
De Bruyne, who has won 107 caps in 14 years representing his country, has shown unwavering loyalty so far. Indeed, he was the only member of that group of players who once showed such promise to play in France on Monday.
Belgium’s next game is a huge Nations League clash against Italy at the Olympic Stadium in exactly one month’s time; whether one of the country’s all-time greatest players will lead his side out on the night remains to be seen.
