Kevin De Bruyne’s 70-acre mansion in Belgium is reportedly attacked by burglars while away in Saudi Arabia for FIFA Club World Cup. The break-in reportedly occurred on Saturday, with the Manchester City forward, his wife Michele, and their three children not present at the property in Bolderberg during the incident. While it has been confirmed that some valuables were stolen, details of the stolen items have not been disclosed. According to Belgian news outlet HLN, the robbers used a stepladder to access the first floor and gain entry. 
Kevin De Bruyne – Getty image De Bruyne purchased the property in 2015 and added amenities such as a pool, jacuzzi, and basketball court. The 32-year-old midfielder had traveled to Saudi Arabia with his Manchester City teammates, after missing out in their 2-2 Premier League draw with Crystal Palace during the weekend. De Bruyne and his family reportedly spend most of their time at their residence in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and rarely uses the Belgian mansion. However, the authorities are said to be investigating the incident, and would provide more details subsequently.
Following Eden Hazard’s retirement from international football following Belgium’s premature exit from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which also marked the end of former coach Roberto Martinez’s reign, the country’s new national team coach, Domenico Tedesco has faced the hurdle of getting a new captain. De Bruyne who already has 97 caps for his country and 25 goals at the international level, has been named as Belgium’s new captain ahead of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Speaking to RTL-TVI television after the announcement, the Manchester City star said; 
“It’s an honour for me to be named and represent the country in this way. “I’m almost 32. I’ve never considered international retirement. I think I can still bring something to the table and help the youngsters.” Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Inter forward Romelu Lukaku have also been chosen as the two vice-captains. 
De Bruyne who has started just five of City’s last nine games and was back on the bench for a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace, stated that he’s been playing quite well even though there’ve been fewer assists. He said; “Obviously, people have a different standard [for me] to a lot of players. It’s just what it is. People expect me to score every game and assist every game. I think I’ve been playing quite well. Maybe there have been fewer assists but I don’t think I’ve been creating less. I don’t really look at these things. I feel fine. “I think I’m playing alright – maybe not the best I’ve every played but it’s good. You know the stats – I’ve created the most in the league and have the most assists and I’ve not even played four or five games. For me, it is the same. I’ve been doing the same thing for eight years here and 15 years in professional football so I’m feeling fine. I expect more from myself than you guys will ever do. You know what people are going to say outside but there’s no pressure. I play football because I like it, not because I have to, so it’s good.” 
The Manchester City star added that he’s quite an “old man” in the game when compared to some youngsters. De Bruyne added; “Whenever I go on the pitch I try to do what I do always. I don’t feel that I necessarily have to do something different. I’m an old man in this game, I know how it is. I’m fine. Obviously you want to play as much as possible but if you don’t play you do the best for 10 minutes and that’s what I did and get the win for the team. I don’t have to do anything different. People know who I am after eight years, know what I do for the team, what I’m good at and what I’m not good at. I don’t want to do different things that I’m not good at on and off the pitch. Everyone has his role to play and that’s really important to maintain your role.” De Bruyne has scored five goals and registered 17 assists for City this season. 
