Club legend reveals why 'angry kid' De Bruyne flopped at Chelsea
Tom Weber
- Updated: 31 Oct 2023 16:53 GMT
- 3 min read
Kevin de Bruyne was one who got away for Chelsea, but club legend John Obi Mikel believes that the Belgian was partly to blame for this.
Now regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders of the past decade, Kevin de Bruyne started his career in England at Chelsea after arriving from Genk in 2012. Things at Stamford Bridge did not go to plan, however.
The Belgian struggled to break into the team and ultimately departed having made just three competitive appearances, signing for Bundesliga side Wolfsburg. There, he recaptured the early promise he showed in his native country, helping the Wolves to win the DFB-Pokal in 2015.
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Manchester City subsequently snapped him up and the rest is history, After playing a key role in Man City's side winning a historic treble, the 32-year-old ranked fourth in the 2023 Ballon d'Or voting. Now, Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has revealed why it didn't work out for De Bruyne in London.
What did Mikel say?
Speaking on his podcast, Mikel said of the Belgian: "I think Kevin De Bruyne wasn't the best trainer back then. He was somebody that comes to training, and probably because he wasn't playing that much, always having his head down, always angry and sulking."
"He was like a kid who came to the playground and nobody wanted to play with him. I remember when Samuel Eto'o had a go at him and they had a massive fight on the training ground just because he wasn't putting in the effort that Samuel Eto'o wanted, so they had a massive row on the pitch."
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"We didn't expect them [De Bruyne and fellow Blues flop Mohamed Salah] to be where they are today, but credit to them, they've gone away and improved to become superstars. When I watch Kevin De Bruyne play today I'm like, 'is it the same guy!?'"
