‘I Saw Samuel Eto’o Scrap With 6-Time Premier League Winner For Making No Effort’
Key Takeaways
- Kevin De Bruyne was accused by Samuel Eto’o of making no effort in training, leading to a fight.
- John Terry admits mistakes over KDB’s time at Chelsea before he left for Wolfsburg.
- De Bruyne returned to the Premier League and won the title six times at Man City.
Allowing Kevin De Bruyne to leave is likely one of Chelsea’s most embarrassing misjudgments. Signed from Genk after a high profile four years in his homeland, De Bruyne should’ve been set for stardom earlier than it inevitably arrived with VfL Wolfsburg and then Pep Guardiola’sManchester City.
However, while the pass master’s stint at Stamford Bridge is often used as collateral over the Blues in many back and forth football arguments, a breakthrough interview in 2023 revealed that the Belgian wasn’t just a bystander in his Chelsea career’s failure.
Admitting and Learning from Mistakes
John Terry takes part-responsibility
A 20-year-old Kevin De Bruyne joined Chelsea from Genk for £7million on the final day of January 2012’s transfer window. His boyhood club saw him score 17 in 113 all-competition outings, as well as become a beacon of creation and skill beyond his years. On arrival in the English capital, De Bruyne stated his ambition to get going:
“To come to a team like Chelsea is a dream but now I have to work hard to achieve the level that’s necessary.”
The midfielder’s tenure at Chelsea, however, was limited to just nine appearances across three competitions in two stuttering seasons, and didn’t look to pay back the price tag the Abramovich-backed West London club had shelled out. Even after a loan to the Bundesliga and Werder Bremen, there was little sign of the Belgian fitting into then-manager Andre Villas-Boas’ plans. In some intriguing comments on Mikel John Obi’s ‘Obi One Podcast’ with Chris McHardy, John Terry stood up for the youngster when asked if he could’ve predicted both his and Mohamed Salah’s immense growth:
“Absolutely not, it’s my one disappointment as captain, because I adapted over time as captain, I think I softened as the years went on. Those early years when those guys were there I was probably very strong, very disciplined on the group and how we did things. That was probably the first time they needed an arm around the shoulder and a sit down and a discussion and maybe helped them settle in.
“So for those players for the level they’ve got to, I’m disappointed in myself as captain, and it’s a regret I’ll have. I’m delighted they’ve become what they’ve become, but I wouldn’t have said they would have got to the level they got to.”
Although the experienced former defender is likely correct, there’s reason to believe that De Bruyne could have actually done more himself to make a bigger impact.
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Kevin De Bruyne’s Chelsea Statistics |
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|---|---|
|
Appearances |
9 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Minutes Played |
426 |
Mikel Watches Training Ground Bust Up
De Bruyne was supposedly not up to standard at Cobham
While Mikel John Obi was in complete agreement with his former teammate Terry, he admitted that he didn’t see anywhere near enough from his ex-midfield partner De Bruyne – especially at the Cobham training ground. Likening the player, who is now renowned for winning the Champions League and six Premier Leagues among 14 honours with City, to a child – Mikel responded:
“Definitely not. He was somebody that came to training, and probably because he wasn’t playing that much, always head down, always angry and sulking. He was like a kid who came to the playground and nobody wanted to play with him.
“I remember when Samuel Eto’o had a go at him and they had a massive fight on the training ground just because he [De Bruyne] wasn’t putting in the effort that Samuel Eto’o wanted so they had a massive row on the pitch. When I watch Kevin De Bruyne today I’m like ‘Is this the same guy?!'”
De Bruyne hit reset on his career after his Chelsea exit. At Wolfsburg, the thoughtful midfield string-puller started to come out of his shell. In two seasons, he played regularly and obviously trained with more intent – notching 20 goals and 37 assists in 73 all-competition games for Die Wolfe – before eventually commanding a £55 million move to Manchester in August 2015.
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Kevin De Bruyne’s Manchester City Statistics |
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|---|---|
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Appearances |
386 |
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Goals |
103 |
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Assists |
171 |
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Trophies |
19 |
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 12.09.24.