De Bruyne took painkiller during Belgium match, leaving Napoli worried
MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 05: Kevin De Bruyne of Napoli looks on from the bench during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and SSC Napoli at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on September 05, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Napoli medical staff are concerned after Kevin De Bruyne needed to take a painkiller for his ankle straight after scoring for Belgium, and he is expected to start against Italy too on Sunday.
The midfielder scored the equaliser in Turkiye on Thursday, before Atalanta forward Charles De Ketelaere turned the game around for the 2-1 victory after an initial Arda Guler free kick.
De Bruyne’s reaction to the goal was unusual, as he shook his head, did not celebrate, and went straight to the bench, where he was spotted ingesting a pill.
Ankle injury bothering De Bruyne
“I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather these last few weeks and wasn’t getting through it 100 per cent,” De Bruyne told HLN after the match.
“I’ve travelled a lot over the last 12 days and stayed in many hotels. The most important thing is that I can help and do my job.”
The player had gone off at half-time in the 2-0 defeat to Juventus on November 1 due to an ankle sprain, but did start the next Serie A game with Lazio on November 8.
It seems the ankle is still bothering him and he had to take extra painkillers during the Turkiye trip.
“That is why I substituted him, that ankle needs to stay in good shape,” confirmed Belgium coach Mark van Bommel.
“We have another match on Sunday. As far as I’m concerned, he can celebrate like that every time he scores.”
Belgium must beat Italy to have a chance of reaching the Nations League quarter-finals, as they are currently in third place behind the Azzurri and France.
If De Bruyne is struggling with that ankle injury, then Napoli won’t be happy to see the 35-year-old start another game on international duty.
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