De Bruyne explains his decision to quit Chelsea

The Manchester City ace briefly played for Chelsea between 2012 and 2014 before rising to stardom away from Stamford Bridge.

A lack of opportunities was the reason behind Kevin De Bruyne’s decision to sever ties with Chelsea back in January 2014.

The Belgian midfielder signed for Chelsea in January 2012 from boyhood club Genk. He initially stayed in his homeland until the summer of that year on loan before embarking on yet another loan stint at German club Werder Bremen.

But when De Bruyne finally suited up for Chelsea in 2013/14, he made only nine appearances. Then-Blues boss Jose Mourinho allowed him to join Wolfsburg midway into the campaign, where he made his name and later joined Manchester City in 2016 for €76m.

🗣 "I didn't have any chances of playing at the time, It was for me the best decision to leave Chelsea."

Kevin De Bruyne speaks about his journey from leaving to Chelsea to become the player he is today at Man City pic.twitter.com/Mh6vSXOekU

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) March 6, 2021

“I decided to go away because I felt I didn’t have any chances of playing at the time,” De Bruyne told Sky Sports on his decision to leave Chelsea.

“I didn’t see more opportunities coming so for me, it was the best decision to leave Chelsea and go to a situation where I felt I could start again.

“Did I expect it to go this way? Obviously not because at that time it was a low point in my career, but I never had any doubt in my abilities as a football player.

“I can’t think what is going to happen eight years down the line playing for City, in World Cups and all that stuff. It’s wonderful.”

Chelsea’s loss was City’s gain, with De Bruyne developing into arguably one of Europe’s biggest talents under Pep Guardiola.

The 29-year-old has managed 60 goals and 105 assists in 249 appearances across all competitions for the six-time English champions.