Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne says he only spoke to former manager Jose Mourinho twice during his time at Chelsea.

De Bruyne, now at Manchester City, made only three Premier League appearances in two years at Chelsea, spending a season on loan at Werder Bremen.

He left for Wolfsburg in January 2014 before moving to City in 2015.

"There was so much in the press about my relationship with Jose Mourinho," De Bruyne, 27, told the Players' Tribune.

"But the truth is that I only ever spoke to him twice. The plan was always for me to go on loan for a bit."

De Bruyne scored 10 goals in 33 Bundesliga appearances for Werder Bremen before returning to Stamford Bridge, when the then Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp - now in charge of City's title rivals Liverpool - wanted to sign him.

De Bruyne said: "Mourinho texted me, 'You are staying. I want you to be part of this team'.

"So I thought, OK, great. I'm in his plans."

'I'd rather you sell me' - on leaving Chelsea

De Bruyne started two of the first four league games of the 2013-14 season, but soon fell out of favour with Mourinho and was dropped to the bench.

"Jose called me into his office in December, and it was probably the second big life-changing moment for me. He had some papers in front of him, and he said, 'One assist. Zero goals.
Ten recoveries'," De Bruyne said.

"It took me a minute to understand what he was doing. Then he started reading the stats of the other attacking forwards - Willian, Oscar, Mata, Schürrle. And it's like - five goals, 10 assists, whatever.

"Jose was just kind of waiting for me to say something, and finally I said, 'But… some of these guys have played 15, 20 games. I've only played three. So it's going to be different, no?'

"It was so strange. I was completely honest. I said, 'I feel like the club doesn't really want me here. I want to play football. I'd rather you sell me.'"
The following month, De Bruyne joined Wolfsburg for £18m.

He scored 13 goals in 51 league appearances before becoming City's record signing in 2015 when he agreed a £55m, six-year deal.

'You threw me in the garbage' - on making a point

De Bruyne said his first "life-changing moment" came as a teenager.

As a 14-year-old, he joined Genk's academy, moving away from his family across Belgium.
In his second year at the academy, he lived with a foster family, provided by the club, but after a season they said they did not want him back.

"It's because of who you are," De Bruyne's mother told him. "They said you're too quiet. They can't interact with you. They said you were difficult."

De Bruyne said: "I kicked the ball against the fence for hours, and I remember at some point I actually said out loud, 'Everything is going to be OK. In two months, I'm going to be in the first team. No matter what, I am not coming back home a failure.'"

The following season, he was promoted to Genk's second team, for whom he scored five goals in one half of a game.

"You could see the change in everybody around the club. I earned a spot on the first team within two months," De Bruyne said.

"It's funny to see the change in how people treat you in football when you're doing well."

His foster family turned up at the club saying they wanted him back.

"They had really hurt me. So I said, 'No. You threw me in the garbage. Now I'm doing well and you want me back?'" De Bruyne said.

"In the end, I should have just said 'thank you'. That experience was the fuel for my career. But, unfortunately, that cloud still followed me around for a long time."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47932597

ok

So is that an achievement?

It’s crazy KDB is still drooling about his Chelsea adventure!! He should concentrate on being a better player and maintaining his levels of professionalism because anyhow can fall off..

Get over Chelsea and concentrate on yourself.

logon599:
Lol. May we never despise the next big thing when they come around us disguised in a rough package. Chelsea had KDB, Salah etc and didn't recognise what they had until it was too late

When you have a blind manager like mourihno what do you expect? A manager that will rather sell Salah and Debruyne and keep players like Ashley young in his team.

This is football anything can happen. We sold off Sergy Gnarbry for £5m.. Now he's a super star at Bayern. I can bet he's worth not less than £40m.

Escape albino

I can feel the pains of Chelsea FC right now.. If only they had kept Salah and Kevin

His brain is paining him wetin him win for him time people are so easy at condemning than encouraging

A great lesson learnt.

Definitely. JM should 4get club football rather start managing national team football wia he can no longer sell players nor buy one, always wanting already made soup instead of arrangement to make his preffered soup.... Odi egwu

See below

Mourinho sold most of our good players and replace them with an average players, that's beginning of Mourinho downfall

Mounrinho is a sadonic sadist and a short sighted man. Glad he has been exposed for the fraud he is

Never treat a fellow human like trash no matter how bad they are doing

Life will through u everything to pull u down. U just have to strong and wither all

I hope they know Jose is not retired from football?
All this unnecessary statements from his former players

that one na coach, he like using players anyhow

if u too humble ur self were this man dey he will use as his house boy ad make u look like nothing

I learnt a very big lesson from his story

SouthSouth1914:
It’s crazy KDB is still drooling about his Chelsea adventure!! He should concentrate on being a better player and maintaining his levels of professionalism because anyhow can fall off..

Get over Chelsea and concentrate on yourself.

if he no fall go drag am naa. bitter victim of "sorry ball"

hmmmm

Crap

anochuko01:

if he no fall go drag am naa. bitter victim of "sorry ball"

Stop reasoning with your Asss! KDB is a better player compared to when he was at Chelsea. If you don’t get my message, then you must be in your 17teens. You have a lot to learn in life

I only saw Sarri once as a chelshit ball-ball

R2bees:
This is football anything can happen. We sold off Sergy Gnarbry for £5m.. Now he's a super star at Bayern. I can bet he's worth not less than £40m.

No. He didn't want to stay and he would've walked away as a free agent like Ramsey the following season if arsenal didn't agree to let him at that moment .

His quality was never in doubt

You made the right choice at the right time...

You did not miss chelsea.

Chelsea also did not miss you!

End of discussion!

SouthSouth1914:
It’s crazy KDB is still drooling about his Chelsea adventure!! He should concentrate on being a better player and maintaining his levels of professionalism because anyhow can fall off..

Get over Chelsea and concentrate on yourself.

He wanted to make it big so much in chelsea and he was denied that
It still hurt him till date

My own is that city must not win the league and champions League.
May God deliver me from this hatred for city...amen