After the defeat of France in the UEFA Nations League, Belgium midfield core De Bruyne publicly expressed his strong dissatisfaction with the national team and the current situation of the Football Association through media interviews. According to TheAthletic reporter SamLee's latest report, multiple factors have led to De Bruyne's patience with the Belgian national team gradually running out.
De Bruyne has privately revealed that he is not willing to take on the captaincy as he prefers to put all his energy into the game rather than take on additional leadership responsibilities. He is aware of his strengths and weaknesses and believes that the communication and motivational skills traditionally required of a captain are not his forte. However, the pressure of being forced to captain both his club and national team over the past 18 months has put him under pressure.
After the loss against France, De Bruyne's emotions completely exploded. He told Belgian sporting director Frankie Wirkauteren "I'm out" three times during the match and in the post-match interview bluntly criticized the lack of effort from some of the players in the squad. De Bruyne emphasized that the team's standards should be of the highest level and that any shortcomings should be compensated for by redoubling efforts, which unfortunately not all of them did.
In addition to player performance issues, De Bruyne also pointed to the chaos and financial woes within the Belgian Football Association. According to reports, the Belgian FA is losing as much as €11.9 million in 2023, and this instability has spilled over into the medical department, leading to significant reforms in the healthcare system since the World Cup. De Bruyne even invited Manchester City's first-team physiotherapist Tom O'Malley to accompany him to the Euros this summer to make up for the lack of medical resources in the national team.
De Bruyne's loss of patience is not empty. At Manchester City, he enjoyed a top-level player setup and unrivaled care, which allowed him to devote himself to the game. With the national team, he not only had to deal with the varying strengths of the players, but also with poor off-field decision-making. This stark contrast made him miss his time at Manchester City even more, and created a deep concern for the future of the Belgian national team.
