At the last press conference before the match against Slovakia, Kevin De Bruyne did not hide it: for him, the Devils are not among the favorites for this Euro. “We are one of the outsiders.”
However, Belgium is 3rd in the FIFA ranking…
”This FIFA ranking does not say everything. Sometimes, when you win all the matches in the group stage, you move up the FIFA rankings. That’s how we got number 1. In a big tournament, that doesn’t play any role. The important thing is to be in a positive spiral from the first match. I wouldn’t say we are the third best team in the world. But we are ready. For many players, this is the first major tournament. They want to show themselves.”
Euro 2024: Domenico Tedesco must make a sacrifice at the dawn of the Red Devils’ first match
You seem to be in a better mood than before Qatar, for example.
”Qatar is the past. We can’t change anything anymore. It was a disappointment, but there’s no point dwelling on it. We have a new coach and half the group is new.”
gullWolfsburg paid my fine. This club prepared me for Manchester City.”
Speaking of the coach, is your collaboration with Domenico Tedesco going well?
”(Sitting next to him, Tedesco puts on his earbuds to hear the translation) At my age, I have already worked with a lot of coaches. I adapted to everyone. But I must say that I am on the same wavelength as him. He wants aggressive football with speed in attack. As a federal coach, you have to adapt to the players you have at your disposal. It’s not like a club coach, who can buy the players he wants in order to play the way he has in mind. But if we didn’t have qualities in the group, I suppose he wouldn’t have come. We have already made a lot of progress, and I hope we will make more at this Euro. We will have to respond from the first match, because Slovakia has a good team.”
Euro 2024: where to watch the Red Devils matches?
Do you remember your last match in the Frankfurt stadium, with Wolfsburg? You received a fine.
”It was Wolfsburg who paid this fine (Editor’s note: 20,000 euros: in February 2015, Kevin insulted a ball boy during a 1-1, he apologized to the kid and sent him a signed jersey). Above all, I remember the wonderful time I had in Germany. Bremen allowed me to take a step forward after playing in Belgium. Then, at Wolfsburg, I won the Cup and the Super Cup, the only trophies that the club had won in its history. We finished second in the Bundesliga, behind Bayern. I had a difficult time at Chelsea, Wolfsburg revived me and prepared me for Manchester City. And here I am, 10 years later…”
