Belgium laboured to a 0-0 draw with Croatia on Thursday afternoon and were knocked out of the World Cup after finishing third in Group F. Kevin De Bruyne played a full 90 minutes but failed to steer his side to victory.
The 31-year-old ended the tournament without a goal or assist in his three appearances and was called out by Graeme Souness for comments made about Belgium’s chances of winning.
De Bruyne claimed the national team had “no chance” of going all the way in the World Cup because the squad was “too old” and Souness believes his comments could have had a negative effect rather than galvanise the team.
He said on ITV Football: “Totally unnecessary. You gain nothing. If that’s your thoughts, then keep them to yourself. That would not have spread a happy atmosphere inside the camp. Why he’s chosen to do that, only he can tell you.”
Jan Vertonghen responded to De Bruyne’s comments after Belgium were beaten by Mexico, sarcastically saying: “We probably also attack badly because we are too old.” There had been reports of a bust-up in the training camp between first-team players too, so Belgium looked doomed from the off.
Not only did De Bruyne fail to contribute a goal, Belgium scored only once from their three World Cup group games. Belgium had 15 players in the squad that were 29 or older too, so the ageist argument had some merit.
De Bruyne didn’t have the best tournament with the Rode Duivels but was in great form domestically with three goals and 13 assists from 19 games for Manchester City, so Pep Guardiola will hope he can put the World Cup disappointment behind him.
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