Kevin De Bruyne (Drongen, Belgium, 28 June 1991) won his first trophy in 2008-09, when he was part of the Genk squad that lifted the Belgian Cup. He is a Belgian midfielder who came through at Genk and then played for Chelsea, Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg. Between 2015 and 2025 he played for Manchester City, where he won six Premier League titles and a Champions League. He joined Napoli in the summer of 2025. He made his Belgium debut in 2010 and captained the side from 2023.
He started out at KVV Drongen, the club in his home town, where he played from 1997 to 1999. He then spent six years in the KAA Gent academy, until 2005, and joined the KRC Genk youth setup that same year. He finished his development there before stepping up to the first team in 2008. His Belgian league debut came on 9 May 2009, in a 3-0 defeat away to Charleroi.
Genk and the league title
He became a regular in 2010-11. He played 32 league matches, scored 5 goals and provided 16 assists, and Genk won the Belgian Pro League, the third title in the club’s history. A few months later he added the 2011 Belgian Super Cup. In all, he made 97 appearances and scored 16 goals for the Genk first team between 2008 and 2012. On 31 January 2012 Chelsea announced his signing, although they left him on loan in Belgium for the rest of that season.
Chelsea, Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg
He made his first Chelsea appearance in a friendly against Seattle Sounders on 18 July 2012. Two weeks later the English club loaned him to Werder Bremen for a season. He played 33 matches and scored 10 goals in the 2012-13 Bundesliga, and was named the league’s young player of the year. He went back to London in July 2013 but played only three competitive games for Chelsea. On 18 January 2014 Wolfsburg signed him for around 22 million euros. In 2014-15 he scored 10 goals and provided 21 assists in the German top flight, setting a new Bundesliga assists record, and the team finished second. That season he scored in the 2015 DFB-Pokal final, a 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, and he then won the German Super Cup. He was named Bundesliga Player of the Year and German Footballer of the Year in 2015.
Manchester City
Manchester City announced his signing on 30 August 2015, and he made his debut against Crystal Palace on 12 September. In ten seasons at the club he won six Premier League titles (2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24), five League Cups (2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021) and two FA Cups (2019 and 2023). In 2023 he completed the treble with the Champions League, and City added the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup that same year. In 2020 he became the first City player to win the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award, and he won it again in 2021. The Premier League named him Player of the Season in 2019-20 and 2021-22. He also finished third in the 2022 Ballon d’Or. His last match for the club was the 2025 FA Cup final, a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace. He left with 285 Premier League appearances and 72 goals.
Napoli
Napoli announced his arrival on a free transfer on 12 June 2025. He scored his first Serie A goal on 23 August 2025 in a 2-0 win at Sassuolo. That season the club won the Supercoppa Italiana, beating Bologna 2-0 in the final in Riyadh on 22 December 2025.
Belgium national team
He made his senior debut on 11 August 2010 in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Finland in Turku. He played at the 2014 World Cup, where Belgium lost to Argentina in the quarter-finals, and at Euro 2016. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia he scored in the 2-1 quarter-final win over Brazil, and Belgium finished third, the country’s best showing at a World Cup. He went on to play at Euro 2020, scoring against Denmark, the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024. On 21 March 2023, after Eden Hazard retired, he was named captain. At the 2026 World Cup he scored in a 5-1 win over New Zealand, and Belgium were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Spain, losing 2-1 on 10 July 2026.
Napoli