3 hours ago
10
When Kevin De Bruyne arrived in Italy, such was the noise that you'd think Mount Vesuvius had erupted again.
Outside the Villa Stuart in Rome, where he was completing his medical, one Napoli fan had skipped visiting his newborn son in hospital to jostle for a view of his latest hero.
Over in Naples, a restaurant proudly unveiled a sickly-looking azure pizza bearing his initials. The ingredients? Buffalo ricotta and a special blue beer. The culinary shockwaves were even felt an hour away in Sorrento, where a gelateria released a new flavour of ice cream: Kevin De Brownie.
Restaurants were begging to have him, tagging him in social media posts in a desperate bid to lay on a feast for a man once dubbed 'the ginger Pele'. Out in the streets, market stalls became a shrine to King Kevin, vendors flogging miniature statues of the midfield grandmaster for a quick buck.
At the club's training centre in Castel Volturno, club chiefs gifted him a number 10 shirt - previously retired in honour of Diego Maradona - to wear in practice. He even gets to glide around the dressing room in bespoke number 10 slippers, though he lines up as number 11 on matchdays.
Quite the red carpet, it's safe to say, for a man leaving the blue side of Manchester. In June, De Bruyne touched down with his wife Michele Lacroix and their three children (Mason Milian, Rome, and Suri) to a veritable personal kingdom.
Kevin De Bruyne and his wife Michele Lacroix have been enjoying their new life in Naples
The Belgian has been welcomed as a hero by the Napoli fanbase, the city, and the wider region
He, his family, and friends, have been making the most of southern Italy's cuisine and lifestyle
When they do get moments of peace, the lifestyle is a treat. De Bruyne and Lacroix have enjoyed chowing down on lobster on ice and sipping wine by the coast, joined by his old friend from Genk and Belgium duty, Steven Defour.
As with many of Naples' upper crust, the boat trips are also a hit. De Bruyne and Lacroix have been making the most of the Gulf of Naples. For as much as £17,000 per day, celebrities can hire out a boat to explore the Amalfi Coast and take in the nearby islands of Capri, Ischia, and Procida.
Back in the city, he has been trying out the local cuisine. For the restaurants, grabbing a picture with the 34-year-old is a big marketing boost. At the Punto Nave diner in the Campanian countryside, which also counts manager Conte among its clientele, 17 staff members crammed into a snap with the midfielder.
Moving to Italy was a family decision. They could have gone elsewhere - Chicago Fire of the MLS were also keen on him. But for the De Bruynes, the lifestyle on offer in Italy was irresistible.
'My kids are growing fast; they’re forming their own opinions, they have friends, routines, preferences. So we sat down as a family, discussed the possibilities, what life in Naples could look like,' De Bruyne told Belgian channel VTM.
'They were excited by the idea of learning a new language, making new friends, exploring a new culture. These experiences are enriching, not just for me as a player but for us as a family unit.
'We’ve already started renovating a house in Naples, close to the school our kids will attend. That was important to us we didn’t want to disrupt their education or their sense of stability.
'The club has been fantastic in helping with the relocation process, from schooling to housing, making the transition smoother for everyone.
On the pitch, De Bruyne has struck up a decent partnership with Rasmus Hojlund, but there is more to come
Moving to Italy was a family decision and they chose Italy because of the culture on offer
His children were involved in the decision and they are 'growing fast' in a new climate
'Naples is unique, the energy, the passion for football, the history, the chaos, the beauty. My family and I are already exploring the city when we can. The kids love the sea, and Michele is excited about the food and the markets. We’ve even started learning a few words of Italian. For me, immersing ourselves in the culture is part of the experience. It’s not just a job it’s a life adventure.'
He asked two friends from the national team for advice. 'I called Dries Mertens, who obviously became a club icon at Napoli, and Romelu Lukaku, who’s already here,' he said.
'I asked them about the club, the city, the lifestyle, and the day-to-day realities of living in southern Italy. Both of them were incredibly positive. They told me about the warmth of the people, the beauty of the city, the food. They insisted I had to try the pizza in Naples because it’s simply the best in the world.
'They also warned me that life here is more chaotic than in England, but that’s part of the charm. It’s a different pace of life, a different mindset.'
It all sounds so serene, doesn't it?
Well, not so fast. For all of the adulation and glamour, the football has been a mixed story so far. The Italian press can't make up their minds.
On Monday morning, La Gazzetta dello Sport woke up in a fawning mood. After a week where De Bruyne assisted twice against Sporting Lisbon, and dazzled off the bench against Genoa, the sports newspaper declared that Maradona himself had been revived.
'Kevin is a shining light,' the paper cooed. 'A priceless technical treasure, a treasure of world football. Napoli can now be fully enjoyed, in all its beauty and magic.
Over the summer, they enjoyed going on a safari trip after a decade at Manchester City
Manager Antonio Conte is struggling to work out exactly how it fit De Bruyne into his plans
'And to think that some in the city, after Milan, were beginning to doubt De Bruyne's importance to this team. A sacrilegious objection, from someone out of touch with reality.'
But he has not been given universal praise. Expressing a not uncommon view, the club's former general manager Pierpaolo Marino explained that De Bruyne actually inhibits Antonio Conte's side.
'At the moment, Napoli's problem is De Bruyne,' he said.
'He makes Napoli predictable, he's stepping on [Scott] McTominay's toes. The problem is huge. He only made an impression by taking penalties, but we don't need a player of that calibre for that.'
The worry is that De Bruyne's arrival limits McTominay, last season's Serie A player of the year. Conte has switched from his title-winning 4-3-3 to a 4-1-4-1, with the Scot foisted into an unfamiliar left-midfielder role, where it is much harder for him to dominate games.
That has been done to accommodate De Bruyne, one of the central attacking midfielders, but people are unsure if it has paid sufficient dividends. In eight games, De Bruyne has three goals (two of which were penalties, one of which was a superb free-kick) and two assists, which only arrived last week.
Much has been made of his apparent spat with Conte - De Bruyne was frustrated at being subbed off against AC Milan last month, and the manager warned he was 'upset with the wrong person' before benching him for their next Serie A game.
But that is something that can be resolved. Conte has already admonished the Italian media for trying to overblow that episode into a saga.
De Bruyne and Michele Lacroix married in 2017, three years after their romance began (pictured pre-Napoli move)
And let's not forget: Napoli are top of Serie A with five wins and a defeat. This is not a disaster season, but after two Scudettos in three years, expectations have been raised.
Conte's issue is not so much with De Bruyne the individual, but with how he fits into his system, much like Arne Slot with Florian Wirtz at Liverpool.
'If the team does well, he's fine, otherwise both of them do badly. He's someone who needs support,' he said recently.
'We're trying to find the right balance because it can lead to absurd excesses: if we win, it's fantastic; if we lose, it's all wrong.
'I need to have balance, look for the best solutions, knowing that this is the second year, and it will be complex for us.'
One man who indubitably loves having De Bruyne around is Rasmus Hojlund. He couldn't hit a barn door at Manchester United; now he couldn't miss a grain of corn. Four goals in six games for him, revitalised like many other of the souls who have escaped Old Trafford.
'With Kevin, everything is easier,' he said after scoring twice against Sporting in the Champions League.
'It is truly special to be able to play with a player like De Bruyne. Whenever I get into a good position, De Bruyne delivers the ball on his own.
He has been hailed as a 'priceless technical treasure' but also criticised for making Napoli 'predictable
There are fears that he has limited the role of Scott McTominay, who now plays out on the left
'Now I understand why Erling Haaland scored so many goals.'
De Bruyne returned the compliments, saying of the 22-year-old: 'Hojlund is growing a lot. I think he is very similar to Haaland. Both like to penetrate behind the defensive line, so they are very alike.
'Although Hojlund may come down to get more involved in play, he should actively target spaces because he can score goals and provide significant assists.'
Maybe it's a burgeoning bromance. A blossoming one, even. La Gazzetta dello Sport called it a 'perfect pairing'.
The jury is still out on De Bruyne at Napoli. That comes with the territory with his reputation and a reported £185,000-per-week salary. But fortunately, the jury around the city seem to love him, and under a manager who has won Serie A nine times as a player and gaffer, the sky is the limit for him and his new friends.
