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DE BRUYNE

Kevin De Bruyne
BELGIUM · BEL · MIDFIELDER · #11
28 JUN 1991 · Genk · Chelsea · Werder Bremen · Wolfsburg · Manchester City · Napoli
KDBThe Belgian Maestro
BELGIUM · #11

🌎 WORLD CUP RECORD

0
TITLES
13
MATCHES
2
GOALS
YEARHOSTAPPSGOALSRESULT
2014Brazil41 QUARTER-FINAL
2018Russia61 3RD PLACE
2022Qatar30 GROUP STAGE
█ ATTRIBUTES
PACE 66
SHOOTING 83
PASSING 92
DRIBBLING 84
DEFENDING 65
PHYSICAL 72

⚡ DEFINING MOMENTS

▲ 2014 · Extra time in Salvador
With a round-of-16 tie against the United States goalless after ninety minutes, De Bruyne drove into the area in the third minute of extra time and slid a low finish past Tim Howard. It was the winning margin in a 2-1 victory and the goal that carried a young Belgium side into the quarter-finals — where Argentina, and Lionel Messi, ended the run 1-0.
▲ 2018 · The counter against Brazil
In the Kazan quarter-final, Belgium broke at speed and De Bruyne struck the ball low and hard from the edge of the box to make it 2-0 against the tournament favourites. Brazil pulled one back but could not equalise; it remains, by most reckonings, the finest single performance of his World Cup career.
▲ 2018 · Third, and no further
Belgium's golden generation reached the last four in Russia, lost a tight semi-final to France, then beat England 2-0 in the third-place play-off. De Bruyne was named to the fan-voted Dream Team. It was the closest he would come to a World Cup final.

📜 CAREER TIMELINE

2009
Makes his senior debut for Genk, winning the Belgian league title in 2011.
2012
Signs for Chelsea but is loaned out; first-team chances in London never materialise.
2014
Joins Wolfsburg, where he flourishes — and plays his first World Cup, scoring in Brazil as Belgium reach the quarter-finals.
2015
Moves to Manchester City for a then-club-record fee and becomes the league's pre-eminent playmaker.
2018
Stars at the World Cup in Russia, scoring against Brazil as Belgium finish third.
2022
Plays a third World Cup in Qatar; an ageing Belgium exit at the group stage.
2025
Leaves Manchester City after a decade and six league titles, joining Napoli in Italy.
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█ THE ALMANAC SPEAKS
PROF. INKSWORTH:

Among the most complete midfielders of his era, the architect of countless goals he did not score himself — yet the World Cup gave him just two of his own across three tournaments. He came nearest in 2018, third place and an all-star ribbon, the final always one room beyond the door. The passes were the legacy; the trophy was not.

  • His two World Cup goals were four years apart — Brazil 2014 against the United States, and Russia 2018 against Brazil itself.
  • He played 13 matches across three finals and never reached a World Cup final, the third-place finish of 2018 standing as Belgium's best in the modern era.
  • Belgium did not appear at a World Cup between 2002 and 2014, so De Bruyne's first finals came only once that drought had ended.
Ready.
Zone: Historical