De Bruyne fires back at Garcia over 'has-been' label

The Belgian national team’s training ground in Tubize was unusually quiet on Tuesday evening. Fifteen minutes before the scheduled press conference, only a handful of journalists remained, their cameras and notepads at the ready. Then Kevin De Bruyne arrived, his expression unreadable as he took his seat. The questions were coming. Rudi Garcia had just publicly rejected the use of the term “has-been” to describe Belgium’s veteran players, including De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, after their underwhelming starts to the international break. The Manchester City midfielder made his stance clear. De Bruyne acknowledged the weight of expectation that comes with representing Belgium. “With the career we’ve had and everything we’ve tried to do for the country, the expectations are naturally very high,” he said. He accepted that time does not stand still. “I think everyone knows very well that I won’t be the Kevin of nine years ago. That’s normal,” he added.

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The 32-year-old insisted that his current level is the result of relentless work. “I know what quality I can still bring. I also know everything I had to do this year to be at this level. I’m proud of that,” he said. After Belgium’s disappointing draws against Egypt and Iran, De Bruyne admitted the criticism was partly justified. “Of course we knew ourselves that we had to do better in those first two matches. That’s part of the game,” he said. He reflected on sixteen years of service to the national team. “Over the sixteen years I’ve played for Belgium, I’ve done everything to help the team and the country win. We’ve had many great moments, but also less good ones. That’s part of the job,” De Bruyne said. His comments came after Garcia’s public defence of the so-called “golden generation,” which has faced growing scrutiny over fitness and playing time. The manager’s stance appeared to embolden De Bruyne to push back against the narrative.