24 years, €74 million: the meteoric rise of Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne still has the cherubic features of an urchin on a school outing, but at 24, he is already on his fifth club as a professional footballer. Oh, and he is also the most expensive Belgian player ever, after his transfer announced last week from German Bundesliga side Wolfsburg to English Premiership leaders Manchester City for a cool €74 million.

De Bruyne’s move is Europe’s biggest transfer this summer and makes him the second most expensive footballer ever bought by an English club.

His rise has been meteoric. Born in the Ghent suburb of Drongen, De Bruyne has become one the mainstays of Belgium’s football renaissance, which has seen them rise to number two in the FIFA world rankings. (City’s captain, by the way, is Red Devils skipper Vincent Kompany).

A product of Genk’s famed academy, which he joined as a 14-year-old, De Bruyne can play forward, winger or attacking midfielder. He soon had his first mention in a local newspaper – not for football but for getting to school on time. “I never arrive late,” the-then 16-year-old said. “When the bus drivers were on strike on Wednesday, I came by bike ... it’s really annoying when students come into the class late. It disrupts your concentration.”

He signed for Chelsea for €8 million in 2012 and then went on loan to German side Werder Bremen. Back at Chelsea at the start of the 2013-14 season, he did not feature much. Manager Jose Mourinho claimed last month it was because he was “an upset kid, training very badly” who was ‘”knocking on your door and crying every day he wants to leave” because he wasn't playing.

He was sold last year for €21 million to Wolfsburg, where he has been the undoubted star of the past 18 months. His 10 league goals and 21 assists last season, a Bundesliga record, helped him to become Germany’s footballer of the year – not a bad feat in the year after the country won the World Cup.

City have already played Chelsea this season, winning 3-0 on 10 August at the Etihad Stadium. But in the away fixture at Stamford Bridge in April, we can expect De Bruyne to inflict more punishment on the struggling English champions.

photo credit:
Fabian Bimmer/Reuters/Corbis