Soccer-Motivated De Bruyne wants to keep playing for Belgium

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Quarter Final - Spain v Belgium - Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, U.S. - July 10, 2026 Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne before the match REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

Sept 22 (Reuters) - Belgium midfielder Kevin DeBruyne ⁠will continue to play international football as long as he remains motivated, saying he had ⁠not considered quitting the team after the World Cup despite being the last of the ‌country's golden generation.

De Bruyne, 35, has won 124 caps since his debut as a teenager in 2010 under Georges Leekens and is lined up to add more appearances as Belgium now have Mark van Bommel in charge.

The new era begins against Italy in ​Rome on Friday, followed by Nations League clashes with France (twice) and ⁠Turkey over the next three weeks.

In recent ⁠weeks, De Bruyne has seen long-time colleague Axel Witsel retire and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois sit out the ⁠Nations ‌League but told reporters on Tuesday he had never considered quitting the national team.

"No, that was never an issue for me," he said. "The coach did ask me what I wanted to do. ⁠My feeling after the World Cup was that I had enjoyed ​myself. A lot of players ‌also asked me to stay.

"I also felt physically good and still wanted to play. That's ⁠the most important motivation. ​As long as I still have that motivation, why wouldn't I continue?"

DE BRUYNE IMPRESSED WITH NEW COACH

DeBruyne did not feel the need for an arrangement like Courtois' to temporarily sit out the Nations League.

"There will come a day when ⁠I say that I don't need to do it anymore, ​but that's not something that is on my mind at the moment.

"I do think these will be my final two years," but then, hesitating, added: "Never say never. At the moment I feel good, so we'll see."

De Bruyne ⁠said he was impressed with new coach Van Bommel. "A typical Dutchman, very direct in his dealings. I like that, just someone who says things as they are.

"We now have to try to make a good start, and after four matches we'll know what we can achieve," added the Napoli midfielder.

"I think my level ​is pretty good. I'm quite satisfied with the way I'm playing. I ⁠was surprised by how fit I was when I returned in August and by how sharp I feel.

"I've ​also now played three matches in a row for 90 minutes. ‌If I can continue like this, that's great for ​me. It's very positive. My level compared with 10 years ago? There's a difference, but that's normal too," De Bruyne said.

(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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9月22日（路透社）——比利时中场球员凯文·德布劳内表示，只要他保持动力，就会继续参加国际足球比赛。他说，尽管他是比利时黄金一代的最后一位球员，但他并没有考虑在世界杯后退出国家队。

35 岁的德布劳内自 2010 年在乔治·莱肯斯的带领下首次代表比利时国家队出场以来，已经为国家队出战 124 次。随着马克·范博梅尔执教比利时国家队，他有望获得更多出场机会。

新时代将于周五在罗马对阵意大利的比赛中拉开帷幕，接下来的三周内，他们将在欧国联比赛中分别与法国（两场）和土耳其交锋。

最近几周，德布劳内目睹了长期队友阿克塞尔·维特塞尔退役，门将蒂博·库尔图瓦缺席了欧国联比赛，但他周二告诉记者，他从未考虑过退出国家队。

“不，这对我来说从来都不是问题，”他说。“教练问过我想怎么做。世界杯结束后，我的感觉是我很享受这段时光。很多球员也都希望我留下来。”

“我感觉身体状态也很好，仍然想继续打球。这是最重要的动力。只要我还有这种动力，为什么不继续呢？”

德布劳内对新教练印象深刻

德布劳内并不觉得需要像库尔图瓦那样暂时退出欧洲国家联赛。

“总有一天我会说我不再需要做这件事了，但目前我还没有考虑过这个问题。”

“我确实认为这将是我最后两年，”但他犹豫了一下，又补充道：“凡事皆有可能。目前我感觉很好，所以我们拭目以待。”

德布劳内表示他对新教练范博梅尔印象深刻。“典型的荷兰人，做事非常直接。我喜欢这一点，他说话直来直去。”

“我们现在必须努力取得一个好的开局，四场比赛之后我们就会知道我们能取得怎样的成绩了，”那不勒斯中场球员补充道。

“我觉得我的水平相当不错。我对自己的表现很满意。八月份回归赛场时，我的身体状态和竞技状态都让我感到惊喜。”

“我已经连续三场比赛踢满了90分钟。如果我能继续保持这样的状态，那对我来说太好了。这非常积极。我的水平和10年前相比如何？肯定有所不同，但这也很正常，”德布劳内说道。

（马克·格里森在开普敦撰稿；肯·费里斯编辑）

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