Broadcaster Sam Matterface claims that Kevin De Bruyne is quite “horrible” to play against, which he revealed the player believes to be the case as well.
Perhaps one reason why Kevin De Bruyne is widely adored is due to his understated demeanour, as was the case with the likes of David Silva and Sergio Aguero.
Despite being one of the biggest names in football, the Manchester City midfielder never seems like he has gone out of his way to be the talk of the town.
Sam Matterface says Kevin De Bruyne is “horrible” on the pitch
Instead, the Belgian maestro simply seems to be focused on all things on the pitch and winning silverware with Pep Guardiola’s men.
However, like all serial winners, it seems like De Bruyne has a feisty side to him.
According to Sam Matterface, Kevin De Bruyne is quite “horrible” on the pitch, as he witnessed during Manchester City’s 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup.
“The thing about having Kevin De Bruyne back is that he brings so much creativity, he gives you so many opportunities to score a goal and look, he took the corner [against Tottenham] which eventually ended up in the back of the net. Maybe that is not an accident, maybe it just happened to be this time around”, he said on talkSPORT’s Premier League All Access podcast.
“But the one thing he also gives you and I don’t think you notice this. He comes on, he’s horrible, right? He is horrible. So, he comes on and he chases a ball into the bottom right-hand corner with Micky van de Ven and he really gets up for it and he gives the linesman a little bit and he gives the referee a little bit and he gives Micky van de Ven a little bit. He gives him a few words in his ears and he’s encouraged by the Man City fans behind the goal.”
Sam Matterface reflected on speaking to Kevin De Bruyne, who described himself as “horrible” on the pitch as well.
“And I remember speaking to him ages and ages ago, maybe 18 months ago and I said to him, ‘Sometimes, you do get a little bit feisty when you’re on the pitch.’ And he goes, ‘I know, it’s embarrassing, isn’t it.’ He said, ‘But I can’t help it.’ He said, ‘I’m a really competitive guy. Even when I’m playing with my kids sometimes, I won’t ever let them win. I can’t ever let them win anything. I get really into it and it doesn’t matter what it is, if it’s like a penalty shootout in the garden, we’re playing Ludo, we’re playing a game on the PlayStation, I have to win and I have this fire inside me.’
Sam Matterface reveals that Kevin De Bruyne believes that off the pitch and when he is not involved in any competitive game even aside from football, he is certainly not as fired up.
“He said, ‘When I’m off the field or I’m not playing games of any sort, I’m actually quite a nice bloke.’ He said, ‘I am but I’m really horrible when I’m on the pitch and I don’t know why I can’t control it, I’ve always been like it.’ And I thought, you sort of need that if you’re going to be a top, top player.”
Kevin De Bruyne simply has a winning mentality
As Sam Matterface said, for a player to reach the absolute top, they must share the burning desire Kevin De Bruyne has in abundance when involved in the thick of things.
Despite not being an aggressive person in general, the treble-winner is driven by his desire for victory at all times, be it on or off the pitch.
This very mentality is perhaps why the former Chelsea midfielder has managed to have the career has had in one of the most cutthroat professions in the world.
The absence of this very desire that De Bruyne possesses is why countless players either suffer a fall from grace or never reach the heights they were expected to in their careers.
