Man City legend Kevin De Bruyne 'upset' by Etihad decision on homecoming

Kevin De Bruyne spent a decade on Manchester City's books but hasn't had everything his own way since leaving in 2025

Former Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne is said to still be "reeling" in relation to what happened on his return to the Etihad Stadium. The Belgian international spent a decade with the English club, winning six Premier League titles, before joining Napoli in 2025.

A reunion came sooner than expected, with Napoli heading to Manchester in last season's Champions League. However, while De Bruyne was given a glowing reception by his old employers and team-mates and the club's fans, things went less swimmingly on the pitch.

The 35-year-old was sacrificed by manager Antonio Conte as Napoli were forced to change their shape after an early red card for Giovanni di Lorenzo. More than a year, on, reports in Italy suggest some bad blood from that incident remains.

"De Bruyne has no problem with the city: he 's happy in Naples, otherwise he wouldn't have stayed," former Napoli striker Roberto Carlos Sosa told AreaNapoli. "Last season, Conte wanted to prove he was the prima donna, when De Bruyne should have felt that way."

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Sosa continued: "Kevin came to Naples to be a protagonist, but instead he found a character like Conte who told him: 'Look, for me you're the same as a right-back.'

"De Bruyne is still reeling from the disappointment in Manchester, where Conte decided to substitute him after 20 minutes when Napoli found themselves with ten men. It's not fair to the fans, but I feel like defending Kevin, because he's a special player."

De Bruyne made just 21 appearances in an injury-hit first Napoli season, scoring five goals. Conte was replaced by Max Allegri over the summer and the former Juventus and Milan boss has handed the Belgian three starts and three substitute appearances in his first six games in charge.

Earlier this year, De Bruyne's pain at leaving Manchester City was laid bare as part of 'A Beautiful Obsession', an Amazon Prime documentary about former City boss Pep Guardiola. "It’s really hard. My kids don’t want to go," he admitted after learning his contract would not be renewed.

"It’s been really stressful days and I’m not making decisions any more based on myself. It’s easy to go to another team and play football. But it’s been a tough time for us as a family."