Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has revealed the extent of the injury he sustained at the European Championships with Belgium last summer.
Over the course of the previous campaign, Kevin De Bruyne reminded the world once again why he has been classed as the best midfielder in the world for almost a decade.
With 19 goals and 14 assists to his name across all competitions, the 31-year-old was at his unplayable best last term.
Known for being one of Europe’s finest creators since joining Manchester City, the Belgian surprised the world by showcasing his unseen goalscoring prowess.
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Registering a career-best 15 strikes in the Premier League, he ranked as high as sixth in the Golden Boot race.
While one can wax lyrical about De Bruyne's brilliance in City's title-winning season for days on end, there was a point where many believed that he was finally past his sell by date.
The Belgian looked far from his precise self, with his passes constantly going astray, uncharacteristically losing the ball in the middle of the park and looking leggy in possession.
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So much so that a popular opinion held by a certain section of City supporters was that the club’s best midfield trio excluded the revered playmaker.
Unlike in the cases of more conservative attacking midfielders like Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan, it was stated that De Bruyne’s high-risk approach was affecting Pep Guardiola's overall style of play.
While some speculated whether age was catching up to the four-time Premier League champion, it was evident that injuries sustained during Belgium’s European Championship campaign had hampered De Bruyne's form in the early stages of last season.
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In a recent interview with Forbes, De Bruyne touched on his injury issues with the Belgium National Team last summer.
“I had a big injury last year and I made the decision to play with that against Italy (quarter-finals) because I thought I had to do it for my country," the four-time Premier League winner said.
"I thought it was a good decision. I’ve never done it before. I never had to do it. Afterwards, I don’t know if it made (the injury) worse, it’s very hard to say.
"But obviously, I was struggling for a long time so if I had that decision now, I wouldn’t do it. Now I know the consequences.
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"It all depends on what game, what situation. If it was a World Cup final, I would probably do the same.
"It’s risk-reward, sometimes you make a decision and it pays off and sometimes it doesn’t. You live with the choices you make.”
Ultimately, all’s well that ends well as Kevin De Bruyne managed to return to his very best and looks set to set the world alight in the upcoming season too after a strong pre-season.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester City, Premier League, Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium, Pep Guardiola, Euro 2021