De Bruyne describes life under Mourinho as he aims dig at Portuguese boss

April 16, 2019 By Oscar Rojas

Topics: English Premier League, Chelsea, Jose Mourinho, Kevin De Bruyne

The Belgian midfielder is still scarred by what he lived when working alongside The Special One at Chelsea.

Kevin De Bruyne has been one of the best players for Manchester City since he joined the club in 2015, but his signing was met with mixed reactions by fans, since he had failed to impress while at Chelsea.

In an interview with The Players' Tribune, De Bruyne explains why his first spell at the Premier League went sour, and he blamed Jose Mourinho for it.

The playmaker described a non-existant relationship with The Special One, who barely spoke to him during their time together, which had an impact on De Bruyne's performances on the pitch.

"There has been a lot of talk about my relationship with Jose Mourinho, but honestly, I just had two conversations with him. He always planned to see me go out on loan. The first time we spoke, I was about to join Dortmund, but he sent me a message that said 'you're staying, you are a part of this team,' and I really thought I was part of his plans," De Bruyne recalled.

Things escalated a bit during their second conversation, as Mourinho compared his stats to those of players that were usually handed starting nods.

"He called me into his office. He brought out some papers and stated: 'One assist, no goals, ten recoveries.' It took me a minute to realize what he was doing. Then, he read stats for Willian, Oscar, Mata, and Schürrle. He expected an answer from me and I told him that they had played 15 or 20 games, while I had played three. I told him that I felt the club did not want me around, and that I would love for him to transfer me. After all, I just wanted to play football," De Bruyne added.

De Bruyne's career changed when he joined Manchester City. There, he formed a friendship with Raheem Sterling, a footballer he used to dislike due to all of the stories that made him look as a difficult guy to work with.

"I thought he was an arrogant guy, and he thought I was just a weirdo, but that changed when we got to meet each other. Raheem is one of the most humble and kind human beings in the game," De Bruyne said.

The footballer is expected to play a major role in Wednesday's clash between Manchester City and Tottenham. Keeps tabs on that match by clickinh on the link below.