After surprising players participating in a tournament at his former club KVE Drongen, Kevin attended an event with 700 fans at the de Bijloke Music Centre.
On stage with host Geert de Vlieger, Kevin discussed a number of topics, including his experiences of last season’s incredible achievements.
“I’m proud to be here with all these people supporting me and these prestigious trophies,” De Bruyne said by way of introduction.
“Coming from Tronchiennes, I’m very proud of everything that’s happened to me, of the player I’ve become. And I tell myself that if I can inspire local kids, it makes it even more successful.
“Obviously, we didn’t imagine at the beginning of the season that we would be able to achieve this historic Treble,” explained De Bruyne.
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“We knew how to win the championship, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to stay at the top. Arsenal held us up until the end after an almost perfect start to the season.
“When we beat them with six or seven games to go we felt that we had gained a moral advantage that served us well for the rest of the season.
“And then there was the Champions League, the one the club had been waiting for for so long. It takes so much effort, so many sacrifices on a daily basis! And that brings so many positive moments but also negative ones.
“Even though I had to go off injured again in the final, I won it and I’ll keep that for the rest of my life.
“We didn’t think about it much, but when we got closer to it, we felt we could do something special. If you think about it too much, it ends badly.
“In the league, Arsenal have been unbelievable and have almost had a perfect campaign but we have always stayed close, which put pressure on them.
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“We knew that if we stayed close, we could go ahead with a few games to go by playing against them at home. It was a mental boost to tell ourselves that it was up to us. We also knew more about how to play for titles.”
On Champions League and the final, the Belgian ace said: “It’s been quite a learning process. We’ve played matches against Monaco, Tottenham, Real Madrid and the final against Chelsea. In the end, those moments may have made us even better. Last year, I felt a lot of stress when I was on the bench after my injury.
“Winning a trophy doesn’t represent my career as a player, it’s about moments.”
Also in attendance were 45 members of our Belgium Official Supporters Club. They were invited to an exclusive meet and greet with Kevin and we’re able to get a photo with the Belgian star.
View some of the best images from De Bruyne‘s trip to Belgium below...
