Is There a “Here We Go!” from Fabrizio Romano Coming Soon?
Belgian Pro League and Super Cup champ, German Supercup champ, 6x Premier League champ, 2x FA Cup champ, 2x FA Community Shield Champ, and UEFA Champions League champ..
These are just some of the achievements Belgian superstar Kevin De Bruyne has acquired over his career.
PHOTO: Sporf/Instagram
You can also add another giant list of individual awards he has won, like EPL Player of the Year, UEFA Midfielder of the Year, Bundesliga Player of the Year, and 4x Manchester City Player of the Year.
He is one of the best midfielders ever to play the game, and he has been the center of rumors lately after publicly announcing he will be leaving Manchester City after a decade of success.
The rumors are pointing to one league, the MLS. Inter Miami actually holds the “discovery rights” to De Bruyne. Still, it seems almost financially impossible for them to make the transfer work, being that they already have players like Messi, Alba, Suarez, and Busquets on their payroll.
There is one other team that has been extremely interested in purchasing the rights from Miami to negotiate with De Bruyne.
That team is the Chicago Fire.
The Pros
1) Global Attention
When you think of the greatest playmakers to ever step onto a pitch, names like Iniesta, Zidane, Ronaldinho, Riquelme, and Cruyff all come to mind (at least, to mine.) Kevin De Bruyne certainly appears on that list as well. De Bruyne would bring massive, global attention to the Fire and a ton of quality to the field. He has been a dominant player in Europe over the last 10 years, and although many say that he is aging and slowing down, there are still many people who believe he can play at a high level, especially in MLS. Take a look at Riqui Puig with the LA Galaxy. Both of these players play a similar role in the midfield. Everything runs through them. Although Puig is a bit younger, De Bruyne is still better overall. Last season, Puig led the Galaxy to the MLS Cup and crowned them Champs. Just saying..
2) Age
Yes, De Bruyne is turning 34 years old in about two months. Yes, that is seen as an age where a player is way past their prime. Aside from him still being able to play at a high level, one has to consider just how valuable he would be to the players around him, specifically the large number of young, homegrown players the Fire have on their roster. Guys like Sergio Oregel and Brian Gutierrez would be able to train and watch one of the best midfielders in the history of the sport every single day.
The advice, the lessons, and the knowledge that De Bruyne would share with the young guys in the clubhouse are possibly even of more value than what he can bring to the pitch. That being said, just imagine a world where not only is he helping shape and mold the younger guys into full, complete players, but also absolutely killing it on the field alongside Cuypers and Bamba. Insane
3) The Hype
Kevin De Bruyne would certainly put a major, global spotlight on Chicago and MLS in general. The Chicago market is indeed a sleeping giant waiting to be awakened. Gregg Berhalter’s arrival was just a small step in doing that; however, the signing of De Bruyne would cause absolute mania. Jersey sales, media attention, marketing campaigns, and social media metrics going through the roof are what would await the Fire. A star player of the caliber of De Bruyne could instantly transform a club. Just ask LAFC how the Carlos Vela project turned out over the years.
Aside from the on-the-field aspect, the impact Kevin De Bruyne would have in general for a club like the Fire would be instrumental in the rebranding and reshaping of the club, which they are currently looking to accomplish.
The Cons
1) Age
Thirty-four years of age in the soccer world is usually considered the final stages of a player’s career, especially a player who is supposed to be heavily relied on to deliver week in and week out for their club. It’s a point many fans have made across social media when the news broke that linked De Bruyne to the Fire. Over the past couple of seasons, he’s also struggled to stay fully healthy.
The number of games Man City played in a calendar year due to their involvement in many tournaments certainly took a toll over the years on De Bruyne. Is this a player we want to heavily invest in and rely on to take us to the next level, even if he’s getting older? He can definitely still play at an extremely high level, but can he do it with lesser quality around him? Can De Bruyne be the main character almost every single week at 34 years old, as opposed to maybe once or twice a month, like they needed him to be at Manchester City?
2) Stunting Potential Growth
I recently had an interaction on X with a Fire fan who made similar comments about what would happen if De Bruyne arrived.
“But what about the growth and progression of Gutierrez, Oregel, and a bunch of the younger guys that could be playing? Instead, they will lose their spots to him!”
Would his arrival diminish the incredible growth players like Brian Gutierrez & Sergio Oregel have made over the past couple of years? Would De Bruyne outshine them and ultimately hurt their minutes on the field? Is it worth signing the Belgian star and handing him the reins instead of slowly passing them off to the younger guys, the new generation?
It’s certainly something Berhalter has to take into consideration if this move does indeed come to fruition. How does he go about this situation? How does he manage it? It can become tricky as the list of Fire midfielders seems to grow and grow every couple of weeks.
You can honestly go back and forth all day long about the decision Berhalter and the Fire should make. There are pros and cons to any kind of player signing, realistically. A club takes a chance on one guy, one player, to come in and make an impact.
But how does that saying go? Without risk, there is no reward..
The Fire community begged Berhalter to come in and make a difference by changing the culture, bringing in big names, and ultimately winning more games.
If he can pull off this signing, Gregg and his team will be well on their way to completing all three objectives.
And we’re only three months into the season.
PHOTO: Sporf/Instagram
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