2026 World Cup: Seattle saw start of career of Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne
When the story of Kevin De Bruyne's career is penned, it will largely tell the path of his career playing in England and how while playing for Premier League clubs he evolved from a promising Belgian prospect into one of the top midfielders in all of world soccer.
And it started in Seattle.
No, really.
The first time the almost 35-year-old Belgian midfielder donned the uniform of a Premier League club came in July 2012 when as a newly signed 21-year-old he came on as a substitute for Chelsea in a friendly against the Sounders at Lumen Field. De Bruyne eventually spent that season on loan in Germany and a few years later evolved into an international star playing for Manchester City.
But his debut into the top levels of European soccer started under the arches of Lumen Field.
"I already know the stadium," De Bruyne said this past week.
Nearly everything is different now for De Bruyne on his return to Seattle. Fourteen years is an eternity in sports. If 2012 was part of the first chapter, then 2026 might be the beginning of the final chapter for one of the elite players of his generation.
The fourth FIFA Men's World Cup of De Bruyne's career starts Monday afternoon when Belgium faces Egypt in a Group G match where the result could eventually decide the group winner and who might have a path to the quarterfinals through Seattle.
Belgium is the heavy favorite to win the group, which could set up the Red Devils for possible Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches without having to leave the Puget Sound region with their base camp at the Sounders facility in Renton.
But while the likes of De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois are still mainstays on this roster, the group of Belgian soccer that was expected to lead the country to titles and glory has cycled through. Belgium remains the only country to have at some point been ranked No. 1 in the world and never won a major continental title or a World Cup.
And because of that, it's led to prospects for Belgium for this year that are muted compared with the previous World Cups even with some of those new faces such as Jérémy Doku and Youri Tielemans taking on bigger roles.
"Of course we have all the weapons. We have quite a lot of good players," Tielemans said Sunday. "We have close ties, a good atmosphere, all the players want to make best of their qualities on the pitch."
De Bruyne remains one of the brightest lights of Belgium's golden generation. Ask an unbiased observer and either De Bruyne or Eden Hazard are regarded as the best Belgian player of this current era of players - and perhaps of all time.
De Bruyne's career has afforded him trophy-lifting moments in the Premier League and the Champions League. He's finished top three for the Ballon d'Or as the top player in the world and from a creative perspective is considered one of the elite midfielders worldwide over the past decade.
But he's not the kid that came to Seattle in 2012. He's not the player who scored against the U.S. in the Round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup, or the one who scored to help beat Brazil in the quarterfinals in 2018.
De Bruyne suffered through an injury-plagued season this year in Italy with Napoli that brought his World Cup availability into question. He gets asked about whether the next step in his career involves a move to North America and Major League Soccer with a late-career move so many other top Europeans have taken.
De Bruyne is at that point of his career where reflection happens periodically.
"I think it's cool. I think I'm probably at a moment in my career where I can maybe enjoy it more," De Bruyne said. "I think when you're younger, the only thing you want to do is just play football to play football and not really get busy with the outside. But, I think now, I feel like I can better reflect on what it means to mostly represent your country for the fourth time."
Eight years ago was the closest Belgium has ever come to erasing the stigma that has followed a country that has produced a remarkable amount of soccer talent without winning a major title. The Belgians reached the semifinals in 2018 before losing to eventual champion France.
If another run like that happens this year, De Bruyne will have a significant role in making it happen.
"It's an honor for me to still be here after playing for the national team for about 16 years. So, that means I've done something good," De Bruyne said. "Hopefully I can play a good tournament and do something well for Belgium."
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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 4:59 PM.