The father of Kevin De Bruyne has said the midfielder would be a deserving winner of the next Ballon d’Or.
The Belgian has just finished another sensational season with Manchester City, that culminated in an historic Treble.
On Saturday night, City won the trophy that has eluded them for so long – the Champions League.
Rodri got the only goal of the game against Inter at the Ataturk Stadium.
It is an incredible achievement, and matches what Manchester United did back in 1999.
While it was absolutely amazing for City to finally win the Champions League, the evening was tinged with a bit of disappointment for De Bruyne, who was forced off injured in the first-half.
De Bruyne said after the game that he had snapped his hamstring, and it is now being reported he could struggle to be fit for the start of next season.
Despite him having to off last night, De Bruyne has still had an absolutely amazing season, and he might be in the Ballon d’Or conversation.
Kevin De Bruyne’s dad says the maestro would deserve Ballon d’Or
Yesterday, De Bruyne’s dad Herwig was back in Tronchiennes for the KDB Cup, after watching his son Istanbul on Saturday night.
He was asked about the game and about De Bruyne having to go off injured.
He said (quoted by Le Soir): “If he had lost that final again, two years later, it would have haunted Kevin for three or four weeks. But this time, it’s a big party. I also saw that he still felt good mentally after leaving the pitch, he even stood next to Pep Guardiola to give him advice (laughs). This Champions League trophy is about the only trophy that was not yet on his record. It’s really the icing on the cake of his career.”
Herwig was then asked whether he felt De Bruyne could potentially win the next Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded on October 30.
He said: “It depends on a lot of factors, there are several players who can win it. Kevin has been close to it before and I hope it will be the same today. He really deserves to win the Ballon d’Or.”
Kevin De Bruyne won’t win the Ballon d’Or over Erling Haaland or Lionel Messi, but podium finish is possible
Before the Champions League final, De Bruyne was perhaps already up against it to win the next Ballon d’Or.
He really needed a masterclass of a performance against Inter to have any genuine opportunity.
But he was robbed of the chance to do that.
The next award will surely see Haaland and Messi battling it out for the gong. It is incredible what Haaland has done this season. And Messi obviously won the World Cup which will probably put him in contention.
With 42 goal contributions (10 goals, 21 assists) in 49 games, De Bruyne has been sensational. But whether he would deserve it over his free-scoring teammate is debatable.
Hopefully he can come back strong from his injury.
It would just feel so right if a player of his quality was able to win a Ballon d’Or before retiring.
