The playmaker feels scorned by his club’s request to leave, and he has every right to stay in England and make them regret their decision.
When a footballer leaves the club where they have spent the majority of their career and had their best years, they have roughly three options. The first option is to retire from football entirely, as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Jamie Carragher, and Gerard Pique have done, ensuring that you never betray the fans with whom you have formed such a strong bond.
The second and most common option is to continue playing but relocate abroad, preferably to a league where you can relax and are unlikely to face your former club again. Steven Gerrard, Xavi Hernandez, and Andres Iniesta all followed this path, leaving as legends while still having a bit of an adventure at the end of their playing careers, despite having long passed their peak.
Then there is the third option, the least traveled and most contentious: join one of your rivals, beat your former employers to a big title, and make them forever regret letting you go.
The most well-known examples are Luis Figo and Sol Campbell, who both made unilateral decisions to leave and tarnished their reputations with their former teams in the process. But what about those players who had no say in leaving their club and were extremely upset about being effectively kicked out, with little gratitude for everything they had given them?
Kevin De Bruyne is currently considering his next move after being forced out of Manchester City. It was initially assumed that he would take the second option and finish his career comfortably in the MLS, with Inter Miami, San Diego FC, and the Chicago Fire all possible destinations. However, there is a growing possibility that he will remain not only in Europe, but also in the Premier League, returning to haunt City.
Liverpool has reportedly already approached the Belgian to discuss a contract. And, given his recent talismanic performances, plenty of other clubs should be lining up to try to convince him to stay in the world’s best league…
Cruyff & Suarez’s precedents
Johan Cruyff was furious when Ajax rejected his salary demands in 1983 and refused to offer him a new contract. In his autobiography My Turn, he stated, “Ajax was still my team, but the people in charge refused to cooperate with me. I heard they were saying I was too old, too fat, and still gaining weight. I had to deal with all of their objections. They also demanded that I be satisfied with a normal salary, which I was not.”
Cruyff exacted his revenge in spectacular fashion, joining hated rivals Feyenoord and leading them to the Eredivisie title at the age of 37. Luis Suarez also felt betrayed when Barcelona told him they wanted him to leave in 2020, which brought him to tears.
He joined Atletico Madrid, much to the chagrin of his former employers, who had forgotten to include Diego Simeone’s team on a list of clubs he was not permitted to join as part of his exit agreement.
Suarez proved to be the talisman as Atletico pipped Barcelona to the league title, scoring 21 goals throughout the season, including winners against Osasuna and Real Valladolid. And moments after winning the title on the final day, he reflected on Barcelona’s snub, saying: “It was tough, the situation I had to go through, the way I was looked down on. But Atletico opened the door for me.”
Not an amicable departure
De Bruyne has been feeling similar emotions to Cruyff and Suarez since his departure from City at the end of the season was announced. The Belgian’s departure was unsurprising given that he was in the final months of his contract and had struggled with a hernia this season after tearing his hamstring twice in 2023.
At first, it appeared to be a friendly departure when the Belgian released an emotional statement announcing his departure after ten trophy-laden years, and Pep Guardiola said he would “bet a lot of money” that the club would erect a statue in his honor. However, it became clear that the feeling was not mutual after all.
First, Guardiola revealed that he and sporting director Txiki Begiristain had made the decision and informed De Bruyne that he needed to leave. The coach effectively stated that De Bruyne was physically and emotionally exhausted following the injuries. He said, “It was difficult for me to tell him that he will not continue. He has been out injured for the past year and a half because he gave his all for the club. There is no doubt that he has done everything in his body and mind.”
Since then, De Bruyne has given numerous candid interviews in which he has expressed how strongly he disagreed with the club’s decision and how much it had upset him.
Airing his grievances
In his first media appearance since the announcement, after leading City to a 5-2 comeback victory over Crystal Palace, he admitted he would consider offers from other Premier League clubs because he felt he was still good enough to play in England’s top division. Then, following the win at Everton, he revealed his true feelings about being asked to leave City.
He said, “Obviously, I was surprised, but I must accept it. To be honest, I still believe I can perform at this level, as I have demonstrated, but I understand that clubs must make decisions. It took me half a week to report it, and it was not nice. I realize I am not 25 anymore, but I still believe I can do my job.
He also appeared to suggest that he had been one of the blamed parties for the team’s struggles during their worst season in nine years under Guardiola. “Maybe if the team did not struggle and I came back like I did this year and bedded in like normal then maybe they would take another decision,” according to him. “I am not sure; they told me what the decision was, and I can not really say what they are thinking on the inside.”
I do not want to share the details because it is primarily business-related for them, and they made a decision based on that. I still believe I am in good shape; I have played far more than I did last year, despite the hernia. I am feeling good, and the rhythm is coming. “I have to accept the situation, even though I believe I can still do a good job.”
De Bruyne continued to air his grievances with the club after scoring the only goal in their narrow win over Wolves last week, declaring: “A lot of team-mates have said that it is sad I have to leave too, but that is just how it goes sometimes in life.”
And Jeremy Doku backed up his statement by saying, “Obviously it is very sad, but I believe he still has the qualities to play here, and he demonstrated that again.”
