The round of 16 match at the Dusseldorf Arena on Monday ended in heartbreak for Belgium when an own goal by Jan Vertonghen in the 85th minute secured France’s spot in the quarter-finals. This loss added to the disappointing legacy of Belgium’s “golden generation,” which has consistently fallen short in major international tournaments.

Emotions ran high as Kevin De Bruyne faced questions about Belgium’s repeated failure to fulfill their potential. Italian journalist Tancredi Palmeri posed a particularly pointed question, asking De Bruyne to explain why Belgium’s golden generation had not reached a major tournament final.

Frustrated, De Bruyne struggled to respond coherently and retorted, “Do you think that France, England, Spain, and Germany do not have a golden generation?”

Following this, De Bruyne walked away from the reporters, muttering the word “stupid” in reference to Palmeri’s question.

Palmeri did not take the comment lightly and later expressed his displeasure on social media. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote: “Ahah De Bruyne just called me stupid. Hey Kevin, little memo for you: the golden generation you mentioned of France, England, Germany, and Spain they ALL REACHED A FINAL!”

Palmeri’s post directly challenged De Bruyne’s dismissal, further criticizing the midfielder by adding, “Usual footballer that wants only questions telling him how good they are. Spoiled brat.”

The talent within the Belgium squad has always suggested the potential for greatness, but their inability to convert this into tangible success has been a source of frustration for both players and fans. De Bruyne will now take a short break before rejoining Manchester City for pre-season training in early July.

Kevin De Bruyne

Manchester City performance and stats

In the last 6 games, it has won 5 times and lost once. In its last match, Manchester City lost 1-2 against Manchester United.​​