Injury from penalty kick? De Bruyne suffers severe right thigh biceps femoris injury, sidelined for at least 3 months

For football players, a professional league career is a fleeting youth endeavor. Older players are more susceptible to injuries as their physical condition often lags behind their mental sharpness. But suffering an injury from a penalty kick that sidelines you for three months is truly unprecedented, which is what happened to De Bruyne.

In the match where Napoli defeated Inter Milan 3-1 to top the Serie A standings, the 34-year-old Belgian midfielder De Bruyne started and scored a penalty in the 33rd minute. However, he pulled a hamstring during the penalty and had to be helped off the field by teammates shortly afterward.

Napoli officially announced that De Bruyne has a severe injury to his right thigh biceps femoris. It is reported that he will be out for at least three months, possibly longer. According to the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, his MRI results are very bad, indicating more than a simple strain. The severity may require surgery, and the player will be unable to return to the pitch for at least three months.

De Bruyne left Manchester City on a free transfer this summer to join Napoli. Serie A has increasingly become a retirement league for Premier League veterans, such as former Arsenal midfielder Mkhitaryan, who played for Inter Milan for many years. The 36-year-old Armenian midfielder was injured in the same match as De Bruyne. In Napoli’s 3-1 win over Inter, Mkhitaryan started but left the game injured in the 32nd minute with a left semitendinosus muscle strain, expected to be out for about a month.

Since joining Napoli this season, De Bruyne has played in all 8 Serie A matches, starting 7 times and totaling 569 minutes on the field, scoring 4 goals. However, as a former Premier League top assist provider, it is odd that he has zero assists in the league; he also featured in all 3 Champions League games, scoring no goals but providing 2 assists.