De Bruyne explains Napoli choice with the former City star FIRED UP for new challenge | OneFootball

De Bruyne explains Napoli choice with the former City star FIRED UP for new challenge | OneFootball

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·19 Juli 2025

De Bruyne explains Napoli choice with the former City star FIRED UP for new challenge

Gambar artikel:De Bruyne explains Napoli choice with the former City star FIRED UP for new challenge

Kevin De Bruyne has explained the chance to remain at the highest level of European football was key to his decision to join Napoli after leaving Manchester City at the end of last season.


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De Bruyne had offers from both Saudi Arabia and the MLS but opted to link up with Serie A champions Napoli, managed by former Tottenham and Chelsea boss Antonio Conte.

“Competitively, it’s a very nice place to be,” De Bruyne told the press when asked why he decided to join Napoli. “They were champions last year, they showed that they had a lot of quality.

“Obviously it’s something very different to what I had in England, but that’s something that’s also very exciting. I felt that I still had some motivation left and some quality in myself that I can do something at this level.

“Napoli was a very, very nice choice. Obviously you’ve got some very different weather that’s very different to England.

“The main reason for me is that I wanted to play at the highest level and I think that when the sporting director came to England and proposed what they’re doing and the project around it, it made me excited.

“We looked at everything and I thought this was the best place for me to be.”

Reflecting on his decade in the Premier League at Man City, De Bruyne continued: “I’ve been in the Premier League so long and in the end, I made the decision to go out of England.

“I’ve done what I’ve done and in the end I’m a Man City player for life and I think it was also the way that it ended for me, it’s time to find a new challenge.

“When I had the whole project in front of me and then the fact that I could play in Italy and play at a high, high level was exciting for me.

“I had the project that the club showed me, they wanted to invest in the club and they wanted to move on. They already are champions, but they still are improving the squad. You already saw that they’ve bought about four or five players, so they’re building for the future.

“Obviously I’m not the youngest anymore, but I think that I can still give something, so I’m hoping that I can help the team grow in a way and I will also learn from them: New way of playing, new style, new competition.

“For me, it’s the first time that I’ve been in this situation where I was free. I’ve always had a contract, so it was always easy for me every summer, I was easy, it was good. So I would say the longer the season went on with nothing going on, it was a bit stressful, because it’s a very new situation.”

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