Kevin De Bruyne: Meet Jose Mourinho's Biggest Mistake

Kevin De Bruyne can probably pinpoint the moment he knew his Chelsea career was over. The County Ground, September 24, 2013. Chelsea were playing in a League Cup tie away at lower-league Swindon Town, with De Bruyne putting in a substandard performance. The Belgian would go on to play a handful of games for Jose Mourinho, but it seemed his fate had already been sealed.

Yet the 23-year-old is now proving the Special One wrong, and his form this season suggests that selling him may well end up being one of Jose Mourinho’s biggest mistakes.

In a campaign in which Wolfsburg have led the chasing pack behind Bayern Munich, De Bruyne has been the Bundesliga’s outstanding individual. In fact, as the stats suggest, only Arjen Robben will be able to challenge him for the Bundesliga’s Player of the Year when the season reaches its conclusion.

While the upturn in fortunes for De Bruyne may have come as a surprise to the Portuguese manager and supporters at Stamford Bridge, it was certainly not a shock to followers of the Bundesliga. They have seen it all before.

In a disappointing 2012-13 season for Werder Bremen, one in which they finished 14th, De Bruyne was their standout performer, finishing his loan spell with 10 goals and nine assists in 33 league games. It was a season that served as proof that, given time and a consistent run in the team, De Bruyne will sparkle.

Yet time and a prolonged spell of starts is something the 23-year-old was never afforded during his time at Chelsea. Signed by Andre Villas-Boas, De Bruyne was never really Mourinho’s player, so a lack of playing time at Chelsea, coupled with loan spells away from the club, did not come as too much of a surprise.

Truthfully, De Bruyne is not Mourinho’s sort of player. He will attack with great freedom but does not expect to be asked to track back and defend too much—something that does not work with the Chelsea manager. This was also displayed by his willingness to see Juan Mata depart Stamford Bridge despite the midfielder winning the club’s Player of the Year award two seasons in a row.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

It does, however, given his obvious talents and raw ability, come as a source of disbelief that De Bruyne was never really given a fair chance at Chelsea. The Belgian made just nine appearances for the Blues, one of which—the 2013-14 season-opener against Hull City—he was excellent in. That fixture aside, he was used when key players were rested. The aforementioned game against Swindon was one in which De Bruyne failed to shine, and one that seemingly led to Mourinho discarding him from his pack.

There is certainly a school of thought that Jose Mourinho simply did not afford the midfielder enough time. He was never able to start consistently, and subsequently never given much of a chance to prove himself. This is something current Chelsea star, and international team-mate of De Bruyne, Eden Hazard has recognised.

Speaking to L’Equipe (h/t Sky Sports), Hazard suggested his international compatriot may have shone at Chelsea if he was given more opportunities. “He is a great player, Mourinho decided to let him go and not play him. It was not my decision, even though I know very well that he could play at Chelsea because he has tremendous qualities.”

Hazard is one among many who have noticed the talents of De Bruyne, and it will perhaps now be a secret source of frustration for Jose Mourinho that he did not make more use of them. One thing is for sure, though: De Bruyne has not allowed the setback at Chelsea to hold him back.

Far from it. After signing for Wolfsburg in January 2014 for a fee believed to be in the region of £18 million, De Bruyne has shown Mourinho exactly what he is missing out on. Chelsea’s loss has certainly been Wolfsburg’s gain.

In the second half of the 2013-14 campaign, he gave fans a taster of what he could offer, scoring three goals and providing seven assists in 18 games. And this season has seen him explode into life.

De Bruyne went into the current Bundesliga campaign having arguably been Belgium’s most impressive player in a rather disappointing World Cup. At the time of writing, he has 14 goals and 25 assists in 42 games across all competitions. Broken down further, the Belgian has contributed nine goals and 17 assists in the Bundesliga and five strikes and assists apiece in the Europa League. That is an astonishing set of figures from an individual deemed not good enough for Chelsea.

Those stats make even more impressive reading when they are compared alongside other players in Europe. He has laid on the most goals for team-mates in Europe. With 26 Bundesliga goalscoring contributions, the midfielder has offered the fourth most in Europe, according to Squawka.

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Most goals + assists in Europe's top 5 leagues this term: Cristiano Ronaldo (49) Lionel Messi (48) Alex Lacazette (30) Kevin De Bruyne (26)

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) April 8, 2015

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Frank Augstein/Associated Press

It seems no side has quite been able to work out how to deal with De Bruyne. Often starting centrally in a three-man attacking midfield behind the main striker, De Bruyne is given the licence to roam. He drives at defences with pace and guile, benefiting from the liberation Dieter Hecking has offered him. His form has also dramatically improved other players, such as Bas Dost.

This has resulted in some fantastic displays. Most notable perhaps was his role in Wolfsburg’s 4-1 demolition of Bayern Munich in January. This was a game in which the Belgian terrorised one of the best teams in Europe, scoring twice and providing one assist.

This game does not stand alone in outstanding displays by the midfielder this season, however, with his two-goal and excellent all round performance against Inter Milan sticking in the memory—and also proving he is more than capable of performing on the big stage. There have also been six occasions on which De Bruyne has assisted twice or more in the same game.

Simply put, at the moment, Kevin De Bruyne is in irresistible form.

Yves Logghe/Associated Press

Signing him for £18 million now seems an absolute bargain for Wolfsburg. Should they opt to or be forced to sell him this summer, they will surely receive much more than that figure. According to Transfermarkt, his current market value is £30.8 million, but any offers the Wolves receive this summer are sure to be higher than that for a player who has already been capped 30 times by Belgium at the age of 23.

Kevin De Bruyne’s purchase and subsequent sale was heralded as a fine piece of business by Chelsea, especially when financial fair play regulations are considered. But on closer reflection and as time has passed, Jose Mourinho’s decision to sell the Belgian has seemed a great mistake.

It is particularly intriguing as Jose Mourinho is not a man who makes mistakes on a frequent basis. At the moment, none seem more costly than the decision to sell Kevin De Bruyne. After all, this is a player who has as many league assists as Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian combined.

He is a player who is currently sweeping all aside in Germany, and his future is now a topic of debate. Having performed superbly, De Bruyne will have the opportunity to test his abilities in the Champions League next season. Additionally, he will have a better chance of challenging Bayern Munich for the title.

However, his head may be turned by the interest in him. Many of Europe’s big sides have now been linked with the 23-year-old, and while the likelihood is that he will spend one more season at Wolfsburg, it would not be hugely surprising to see him at Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich or one of the two Manchester clubs next year. His representative, Patrick De Kosser, recently told Canal Supporters (h/t the Express): “Everything can move fast in football.” That sounds ominous.

One thing is for sure, though: Jose Mourinho will be hoping he stays put on the continent. Otherwise, he may run the risk of witnessing his biggest mistake firsthand.