Ex-Chelsea stars claim Kevin de Bruyne was such a ‘bad trainer’ he sparked a fight in training
It seems almost unthinkable given the kind of consummate professional he is today, but apparently Kev wasn't always a favourite around the training pitch.
He might be one of the best players in the Premier League if not the world at present, but ex-pros John Obi Mikel and John Terry have insisted they never could have predicted that Kevin de Bruyne would have turned into the player he did — in fact, they went so far as to label him a “bad trainer”.
The Chelsea legends made the rather bold claim on a recent episode of retired midfielder Mikel’s self-styled YouTube show, The Obi One Podcast, when the two were discussing if they ever foresaw the likes of de Bruyne and Mohammed Salah going on to become the incredible athletes they have.
In short, both of them had a simple answer: no; but it was details surrounding what Man City‘s star man was like back in the day when he first arrived on British shores.
As they they remember, not only did they not see “enough” for the Belgian baller in those early years to suggest he would progress the way he has but they even argued he was “a bad trainer” at the time, with Terry arguing he could have gone easier on the young players that Chelsea began sweeping up.
Agreeing with his assessment, Mikel said: “Definitely not, but it wasn’t just you JT, when you look back then and look at their levels, I think Kevin De Bruyne wasn’t the best trainer back then.
ADVERTISEMENT
“He was somebody that comes to training and probably because he wasn’t playing that much, always [had his] head down, always angry and sulking. He was like a kid who came to the playground and nobody wanted to play with him.”
Mikel then went on to recount an altercation between him and another former star, Samuel Eto’o, describing how the Cameroonian “had a go at him and they had a massive fight on the training ground just because [De Bruyne] wasn’t putting in the effort… so they had a massive row on the pitch.”
ADVERTISEMENT
All we can think of is that “Let Me Talk!” clip now…
The pair did go on to hold their hands up and recognise that being a young player is one thing and learning how to be a pro is another, adding, “Credit to them they’ve gone away and they’ve done what they had to do to become who they are, they’re superstars.”
Nevertheless, Mikel did go on to remark: “When I watch Kevin De Bruyne today I’m like, ‘Is this the same guy?!'”. As for Terry, he wondered if his discipline as captain may have been too much and perhaps “they needed an arm around the shoulder” instead to help them settle in.
ADVERTISEMENT
Either way, Blues won’t mind one bit as after a two-club spell in Germany, City signed the then-promising 24-year-old from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in 2015 and now eight years later have a truly generational talent who would walk into any team and should be back in action following his injury early next year.
You can see the full discussion between John Obi Mikel and John Terry down below:
Featured Image — The Obi One Podcast (via YouTube)/Kevin de Bruyne (via Instagram)
Sport
Man United Women lift their first-ever FA Cup as Ella Toone stunner sets game alight
Danny Jones
Manchester United Women have won their first FA Cup in their history following a 4-0 thrashing at the expense of Spurs.
With neither team having ever won the cup before, it was always going to be a historical moment for one of them – we’re just glad it just happened to be the Mancs.
After an up-and-down season in the Women’s Super League, Marc Skinner’s side signed things off with a potentially job-saving piece of silverware following an impressive performance in front of an equally impressive record 76,082-strong Wembley crowd.
It all got started with an absolute stunner for Tyldesley’s very own Ella Toone, netting not only the opener but the club’s first-ever goal in an FA Cup final.
— Adobe Women's FA Cup (@AdobeWFACup) May 12, 2024
From that moment on, the floodgates were well and truly open, as Rachel Williams made up for an earlier miss with the crucial second goal.
Only moments later, fan favourite Lucía García made it three and in fine fashion, pretty much sealing the landmark victory in less than an hour.
It’s also worth noting that the female Devils controlled most of the possession throughout the game and showed what they have been capable of in spells this year.
And then came another for García, with the brace rounding off an absolute rout in the capital. Here was the moment they knew their name was on the trophy:
With a Manchester derby for the men’s team in just a couple of week’s time too, it could be a double and a much-needed one at that.
It’s fair to say Man United as a whole are a club very much still in flux but successfully bringing home silverware is what the fans have been crying out for in the post-Ferguson era.
Will the blokes get the business done on their end? We’ll see soon enough.
Featured Images — Man United Women/FA Cup/BBC Sport
Sport
Manchester City Under 18s win the coveted FA Youth Cup in comfortable fashion
Danny Jones
TheManchester City Under 18s squad have won the prestigious FA Youth Cup in fine fashion after cruising past Leeds United 4-0.
The academy-level competition is one of the most highly revered trophies in the English youth ranks, with some of the greatest teams and legendary footballers having first shone on this stage, including the Class of ’92 as well as players like Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, Phil Foden and more.
Ben Wilkinson’s promising young side secured the youth title after a comfortable showing at the Etihad Stadium on Friday night, making this the fourth time they have lifted the trophy, the previous times being 1986, 2008 and most recently in 2020.
Here’s the moment the young ‘Cityzens’ drank in their success.
Commenting on the momentous achievement, Academy Director Thomas Kruecken said of the squad and staff: “This is a fantastic achievement for our Academy. The FA Youth Cup is one of our main targets each season, so to have won the trophy for the fourth time in our history really feels special”.
“Ben, his staff and all the players deserve huge credit for the way they have played throughout the competition. It’s been a pleasure to watch them grow and develop together and they’ve produced some outstanding football along the way.
“But this trophy belongs to everyone connected to Man City’s Academy. There are so many people who work tirelessly every single day to ensure the Academy environment is as good as it can be – to give our young players a platform to develop and become the best footballers they can.
“It makes me really proud to see the work our staff do every single day.”
The names on the scoresheet included Justin Oboavwoduo, Stephen Mfuni and Matty Warhurst, who came straight off the bench to grab the fourth and final goal, but this was probably the pick of the bunch from Jaden Heskey, son of former Wigan Athletic, Bolton Wanderers and England striker, Emile:
City are still a fair few short of Manchester United’s record in the competition, having won the tournament 11 times, but with more development and focus on the academy system and club-wide playing principles up and down all age levels ever since Pep Guardiola arrived, this won’t be their last.
Congrats to the youngsters and be sure to remember those names – we’re sure plenty of them will be lighting up leagues soon enough.
You can watch the highlights from Man City’s U18s’ convincing Youth Cup victory down below or watch back the game in full HERE.