Kevin De Bruyne To Wear Maradona's No.10 Jersey At Napoli? Here's The Truth...
Will Kevin De Bruyne wear the no.10 jersey for Napoli, previously retired for Diego Maradona?
Kevin De Bruyne was asked about wearing the no.10 jersey for Napoli following his summer move from Manchester City, calling it a significant honour to don the iconic shirt number previously retired for the legendary Diego Maradona. However, he added, 'I'm my own player."
De Bruyne has been training with Napoli for the past week after joining on a free transfer from Manchester City, where he spent ten years and won six league titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, and the UEFA Champions League.
The Belgian was officially unveiled to the press on Saturday, holding his introductory press conference in the afternoon.
What Jersey Number Will Kevin De Bruyne Wear At Napoli?
Reporters at De Bruyne's first Napoli press conference inquired about photographs that circulated earlier, showing him wearing Maradona's retired no.10 during training.
In response, De Bruyne confirmed he will wear the no.10 shirt for the 2024-25 season.
'I would say I was a bit surprised in the beginning, because I knew that the number was retired, but in another way it's an honour. It's an honour from the team and from the club to give me this responsibility," De Bruyne said.
He clarified that a shirt number does not add extra pressure for a player at his level, as 'the pressure comes from itself if you play for a big team like Napoli."
'I don't think it adds any more pressure," De Bruyne added. 'I think the pressure comes from itself. If you play for big teams like Napoli, the pressure will be there. There's a team that wants to win, you know what you have to do as a player and a squad, but I don't believe that a number or anything else will add to the pressure.
'Maradona is Maradona, he's one of the legends of the game and he's synonymous with Napoli anyway. I'm grateful, I'm proud, but I'm my own player. I'm going to try and do the job the best I can do and hopefully I can bring pleasure to the team, to the city and to the fans and get some good performances in there."
Reports suggested that Kevin De Bruyne would be sportng the number 11 at Napoli.
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