The injury against Inter took away Kevin’s light from the Azzurri, the rehabilitation process continues, but in the meantime the fans “reproach” him for the lack of celebrations after the triumph in Riyadh
Alessandra Vaccaro
December 31st – 2.36pm – NAPOLI
Close even far away. It is Luca Carboni’s melancholy and also that of Napoli fans due to the absence of Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian midfielder, in fact, is out of the match against Inter. Since he showed up on the spot to take the penalty that gave the Azzurri the lead, since he scored without celebrating due to the pain caused by the high-grade lesion to the hamstring of his right thigh, since he was accompanied off the pitch supported by medical workers.
It was last October 25th and Kevin had already made people admire his qualities by scoring 4 goals and making 2 assists. The harmony on the pitch with Rasmus Hojlund had just manifested itself, in the match against Sporting Lisbon he assisted the Dane twice, sending him into the goal without fail. Enough to attract the attention of Haaland, who took to social media to give advice to his former City teammate: “Feed him Kevin”. He had already driven the Maradona stadium crazy, still in disbelief at seeing a legend of European football wearing the blue shirt.
the reaction
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The comments of Napoli fans on De Bruyne’s first posts were a mixture of emotion and disbelief, between “I’m feeling bad” and “It doesn’t seem real to me”. Then, the stop and the surgery in Antwerp, where he had also operated a few months earlier for a similar problem. Since he arrived in Naples, Kevin immediately gave himself to the fans via social media, making them involved and proud of the victories, the performances and also the bond with the city. The De Bruyne family has always admired Campania, so much so that in 2017 Kevin and Michele decided to get married right in a corner of paradise on the Sorrento coast. In addition to Giovanni Manna’s transfer masterpiece, De Bruyne’s yes to Naples must also have been influenced by his Belgian friends Mertens and Lukaku. In Naples, Kevin immediately found a welcoming environment, a family, becoming friends with McTominay and his partner, who turned out to be much more than a couple of neighbors. The idyll in the shadow of Vesuvius was broken (temporarily) by the long-term injury. The day after the surgery, the former City player made a point of writing a heartfelt letter to the Azzurri, reassuring everyone about his health conditions. “My return has already begun,” he guaranteed, sending his Instagram feed into a tailspin due to the over 20,000 comments of support from Napoli fans. A few shy photos in Instagram stories and then nothing more. Until December 8th, when Kevin posted a family portrait dedicated to his wife’s birthday. It is right under that post, his last post, that criticism from Napoli fans poured in, dissatisfied at not feeling the closeness of the Belgian champion even at the moment of winning the Super Cup. “Well done to your teammates?”, “Kevin, is a post for the Super Cup asking too much?”, “Aren’t you happy? Don’t you say anything?”, are just some of the manifestations of disappointment from Napoli supporters.
the return date
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De Bruyne has put aside his crutches for a few days. He should return to Naples in mid-January to continue the rehabilitation process under the guidance of the Italian medical staff, led by Dr. Raffaele Canonico, who also went to Belgium to assist him during the operation. Two months have passed since the terrible injury, two months that seem like an eternity and which must not have been easy for Kevin. As well as for the Napoli fans who felt betrayed by his public absence after the Super Cup victory. But, as we know, in football you have to trust and if De Bruyne admitted that “his return has already begun” after the perfectly successful surgery, you can only trust. When he is back in Naples, he will know how to make amends, he will do it in the way of champions.
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