Kevin De Bruyne was unexpectedly not in the starting lineup for the big match against Real Madrid on Tuesday evening.
A notable tactical move by Pep Guardiola? No, the Belgian star turned out to be ill. “Kevin started vomiting in the locker room,” his coach said.
In a pre-match interview, Guardiola provided some more details about De Bruyne’s condition: “Kevin is not feeling well. We had a meeting, and he was ready. But when we arrived, he started vomiting in the locker room and Kevin said he wasn’t ready.”
For De Bruyne, this meant a game without any playing time. He watched from the bench as his team managed not to lose grip during a rollercoaster of a match. Jeremy Doku also remained on the bench for the entire game.
After the match, De Bruyne appeared fit enough to come outside and walk around. On the field, he was able to have a chat with Modric and received the substitute’s jersey.
So, it might have just been a sudden illness for the midfielder. Hopefully, he’ll be back against Madrid, as the two teams will be playing each other again next week.
City quickly took the lead with a free-kick goal by Bernardo Silva. However, they were unable to maintain this lead, as Madrid went ahead 2-1 less than 15 minutes later.
The match was characterized by City’s lack of De Bruyne on the field. The English team struggled to get the ball flowing, and striker Erling Haaland was almost completely out of touch with the ball throughout the whole match.
The 32-year-old Belgian is contracted with City until the summer of 2025. This season, he has played 16 matches, contributing 4 goals and 14 assists.