De Bruyne on Conte’s dismissal: "Yes, I am happy about that"
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 31.05.26. | 21:01
The former Manchester City player was not on good terms with the Italian coach, and he has now shown that again
Kevin De Bruyne has aimed criticism at former Napoli boss Antonio Conte only a few days after the Italian’s exit from the club.
Conte enjoyed an immediate impact in Naples, guiding the team to their fourth Scudetto in his first season in charge. However, things unravelled in his second year, with Napoli falling short in the Serie A title race as they finished runners-up, a full 11 points behind Inter Milan. Their Champions League run was also underwhelming, as they exited during the league phase.
Although they still managed to lift the Supercoppa Italiana and avoid ending the season empty-handed, Conte ultimately departed by mutual agreement at the end of the campaign.
De Bruyne’s first season in Naples, meanwhile, was far from smooth. The Belgian midfielder suffered a serious thigh injury in October that kept him sidelined for four months, restricting him to 21 appearances in which he contributed five goals and four assists.
Now 34, De Bruyne has openly spoken about his frustrations in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad ahead of the upcoming World Cup. He explained: “Obviously it was difficult for me because Conte has a very different vision of football to mine. In truth, I never had the opportunity to play in my preferred position. In any case, I always tried to give my all for the team.”
When asked whether De Bruyne was happy whether Conte had left the club, he replied: “For me, yes. As far as I am concerned, he was not obliged to stay. There were promises made last summer on the way that we would be playing, but at the end of the day not much of it happened."
He also suggested a possible summer exit, adding: “I still have a year left on my contract, but I want to talk about it. There was a lot of talk last year of how we’d play and what we would do, but none of it happened."
With club matters on hold for now, De Bruyne’s focus shifts to international duty. The Manchester City icon has been included in Belgium’s squad for the World Cup alongside key names such as Romelu Lukaku, Jeremy Doku, and Thibaut Courtois.