Kevin De Bruyne, 26, Belgium :
His Manchester City teammates have nicknamed him “The Prince,” and if he manages to win the World Cup, he’ll be considered Belgian royalty by his Red Devil supporters. Eden Hazard may be the face of the Belgian national team, but the distinctive red-haired De Bruyne is the brains of the operation.
American fans might remember that hairstyle four years ago when De Bruyne tore the hearts of U.S. national team by scoring in extra time to help Belgium advance to the quarterfinals where the Red Devils were eliminated by Argentina. He finished Brazil 2014 with one goal and two assists.
Don’t expect him to be a prolific goalscorer his summer like Hazard or even Romelu Lukaku. KDB’s game is all about his vision and the way he sets up his teammates with world-class passes. There are not many players that can read the field the way he can. It’s why Belgium breezed its way into first place in the European qualifiers, winning nine of its 10 group stage matches and finishing the World Cup qualifying campaign with a plus-37 goal differential. Again, the Red Devils scored 43 goals and conceded six times in 10 qualifying matches. That’s insane.
This is the golden generation of Belgian soccer and some people even view them as sleeper to reach World Cup glory. And De Bruyne seems to agree. Here’s what he said in a March interview with the Mirror: “This is the best team in the history of Belgium. There are several players over 30. This is the time to profit. Only by wanting the first prize can you win the first prize.”
His Manchester City teammates have nicknamed him “The Prince,” and if he manages to win the World Cup, he’ll be considered Belgian royalty by his Red Devil supporters. Eden Hazard may be the face of the Belgian national team, but the distinctive red-haired De Bruyne is the brains of the operation.
American fans might remember that hairstyle four years ago when De Bruyne tore the hearts of U.S. national team by scoring in extra time to help Belgium advance to the quarterfinals where the Red Devils were eliminated by Argentina. He finished Brazil 2014 with one goal and two assists.
Don’t expect him to be a prolific goalscorer his summer like Hazard or even Romelu Lukaku. KDB’s game is all about his vision and the way he sets up his teammates with world-class passes. There are not many players that can read the field the way he can. It’s why Belgium breezed its way into first place in the European qualifiers, winning nine of its 10 group stage matches and finishing the World Cup qualifying campaign with a plus-37 goal differential. Again, the Red Devils scored 43 goals and conceded six times in 10 qualifying matches. That’s insane.
This is the golden generation of Belgian soccer and some people even view them as sleeper to reach World Cup glory. And De Bruyne seems to agree. Here’s what he said in a March interview with the Mirror: “This is the best team in the history of Belgium. There are several players over 30. This is the time to profit. Only by wanting the first prize can you win the first prize.”
