Midfielder Connor Ronan has stated that he still gets asked about the time he swapped shirts with Manchester City maestro Kevin De Bruyne back in 2017.
Ronan was speaking to Wolves Weekly about his time at Molineux and reflected on some of his best moments, including when he faced City in the Carabao Cup.
City beat Wolves that night at the Etihad Stadium on penalties, with the game having finished 0-0.
Ronan started on the bench for Wolves, but came in with around 20 minutes to go. De Bruyne also started from the bench for City, and replaced Gabriel Jesus with about 10 to go.
After the game, Ronan was caught on City’s tunnel cam footage receiving De Bruyne’s shirt, with the Belgian then surprising his midfield rival by asking him for his shirt back – and it’s a moment the star has never forgotten and still gets asked about…
Connor Ronan says people still always ask him about Kevin De Bruyne shirt swap
De Bruyne is a household name in 2023 and one of the very best players in the world.
But back in 2017 he was still very much a big deal, and Ronan was delighted to get his shirt and also very surprised that he wanted his in return.
Speaking to Wolves Weekly, Ronan – now of Colorado Rapids – said: “I get asked about that a lot. I asked him for his shirt on the pitch. My little brother is a Man City fan so I thought I would try and get him a shirt. I remember seeing him in front of me and I thought I’d ask. He said ‘we’ll do it in the tunnel’.
“He obviously went in before me and then the footage came out that looked like he was waiting for me! It was never really like that, I’d asked him on the pitch. I think the shock from me kind of came because I was still only young.
“When I look back on stuff like that, that calibre of player and people who are just that much of a superstar. For me even now, I still get asked about it. It’s probably one of the standout moments in my career to say that happened. For him to do that, it’s nothing to him, but it was a big impact for me.”
Wholesome stuff
It’s nice to hear Ronan go into a bit more detail about his interaction with De Bruyne.
£55 million star De Bruyne is an incredibly gifted footballer and has been for years, but he has also always conducted himself extremely well.
For this to be a career highlight for Ronan just shows the high regard in which he is held by his fellow professionals.
One would imagine there have been plenty more young players since this interaction with Ronan who have asked for the star’s shirt.
