As a young child growing up in Belgium, Kevin De Bruyne once told a local television reporter on camera that his favourite team was Liverpool, and that his favourite player was Michael Owen.
He repeated that in 2019, in an interview with Match of the Day magazine. Family members living in England supported Liverpool, so it was a natural choice. Owen, meanwhile, won the Ballon d’Or in 2001 when an impressionable De Bruyne was 10-years-old.
Fast forward to 2025 and he could have had the opportunity to join the club he adored all those years ago, which would have been one of the headline moments of the summer after leaving Premier League rivals Manchester City as a bona fide legend.
Ultimately, it didn’t happen. De Bruyne opted for Serie A champions Napoli earlier this month, relocating his family to Italy’s Amalfi Coast, and signing an initial two-year contract to 2027.
There were all manner of options for him to assess. According to The Athletic, De Bruyne would have “considered” joining another Premier League club. He appeared reluctant to leave City in the first place, not offered a new deal rather than going of his own accord, and is said to have wanted stay in the north west of England, his home since 2015 and where all three of his children were born.
As such, there was what is described as a “short conversation” between the De Bruyne camp and Liverpool. However, with the Premier League champions chasing Florian Wirtz, the likelihood of De Bruyne commanding a regular starting role was uncertain—and being a backup didn’t appeal.
Due to the realistic possibility breaking down in those early stages, he never actually needed to make the decision of whether to sign with the club that has been City’s closest competitor for almost a decade.
De Bruyne wanted to stay in Europe, ruling out Major League Soccer or the Saudi Pro League, with The Athletic adding that clubs like Juventus and Galatasaray never made concrete proposals after showing initial interest.
But Napoli ticked the necessary boxes and there is said to be a particular appeal in playing for Antonio Conte, as well as being in the Champions League.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Short Discussion’— Major Man City Rival Held Kevin De Bruyne Talks.
