Kevin De Bruyne’s return to Manchester City lasts just 25 minutes: Napoli star subbed after early red card

It was an emotional night for Kevin De Bruyne as the Belgian star made his return to the Etihad Stadium, where he played from 2016 to 2025 before moving to Napoli as a free agent. Over the years in England, De Bruyne made more than 400 appearances and helped Pep Guardiola’s squad win 19 major trophies, including the 2023 UEFA Champions League. 

Sadly, the comeback of De Bruyne at the Etihad only lasted 25 minutes as Antonio Conte decided to replace him after Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo received a red card in the 20th minute of the first half and decided to add Mathias Oliveira in the defensive line, while the whole stadium sang the name of their former idol. It was an emotional moment, despite being brief. Napoli ended up losing 2-0 to the English giants with the goals scored in the second half by Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku. 

“Of course, it’s nice for him to come back. I’m excited to see him after the game and I’m not surprised on his impact at Napoli. He plays at that level, absolutely quick, the players at that level don’t need to adapt. He’s unique,” Guardiola said ahead of the match.

Napoli manager Antonio Conte spoke about the substitution to Sky Italy and said, “Sometimes the devil takes a turn for the worst, there’s a cruel twist of fate. Last year we didn’t have a single red card, but today in the Champions League we did. It was the only thing I could do: I feel sorry for the boy, we took away his chance to play all or most of the match in his old stadium.” 

Earlier this year, Man City’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarark revealed that the club had commissioned a statue to be made in honor of De Bruyne that would be situated outside the Etihad. The home fans welcomed De Bruyne on the pitch with a banner and the whole stadium sang his name before the kickoff in an emotional moment for both player and fans.