"I'm 31 and I don’t know what will happen in 4 years" - Kevin De Bruyne admits 2022 FIFA World Cup could be his last for Belgium
Manchester City and Belgium superstar Kevin De Bruyne has admitted that the upcoming FIFA World Cup may be his last.
The 31-year-old will be playing in his third World Cup, having reached the semi-finals with Belgium in 2018, before losing to eventual winners France. While De Bruyne is widely recognized as one of the best players on the planet, he recognizes that time might be against him.
Kevin De Bruyne might seriously be the best ever Premier League midfielder.
Belgium are among the favorites to win the tournament in Qatar and De Bruyne is in white-hot form leading into the competition, scoring three times and providing nine assists in his 12 Premier League appearances. But the midfielder is well aware that the upcoming FIFA World Cup could be his last, as he explained (per 90 min):
“My family are going over for the group stages. I am obviously 31 and I don’t know what will happen in four years. This is the first time my kids can come to the World Cup.
“That is why they are coming. It will be special, an event I don’t want them to miss. They are six, four and two. The eldest two of them follow the football a bit but the daughter, not really, but she can go and enjoy the sun and play in the pool."
He added:
“I am excited. It will be the third one and it is always special. These events are great as everyone is watching it. It is big but there is no point to stress about it. It is my third time, I understand what is coming and I cannot speak for someone else who will be there for the first time.
“[The timing] is unknown. There is no point worrying about it or thinking about it. You take it as it comes and try and play as well as possible. We are not talking about it with team-mates. The schedule is too hectic. We had two away games quickly after each other.”
🎯 https://t.co/7x00U0Pr5E
Belgium are placed in Group F of the World Cup alongside Morocco, Croatia and Canada. They will kick off their campaign on November 23 against Canada.
Kevin De Bruyne laughs off criticism from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
After a 1-0 victory over Leicester City last time out, in which De Bruyne scored an extraordinary free kick, Guardiola claimed he thinks the midfielder can play even better.
De Bruyne responded to the comments shortly after, as he stated (as per The Manchester Evening News):
"I am fairly happy with the way I play. Can you do better? Yes, of course. But I do not take it too much as criticism. You just want to be the best version of yourself you can be. I still feel confident in what I am doing.
"We had a brief conversation but not a big one. Just the usual stuff."
Pep Guardiola knows Kevin De Bruyne very well 😅 https://t.co/5flZ56wgvf
City, who have already qualified for the knockout stages, will face Sevilla at home in the UEFA Champions League on November 2. De Bruyne has contributed two assists in three games in the Cityzens' European campaign so far.