The Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne left fans gobsmacked (and social media amused) after claiming that nobody in Europe watches cricket. Appearing on a light-hearted game show segment called AI Showdown, filmed for City’s media team, De Bruyne was asked to name the five most popular sports in Europe.
After fumbling with his guesses, the presenter laid down the list: football, cricket, basketball, tennis, and Formula 1.
Between the word “cricket” and “second place”, De Bruyne lost all faith in quiz shows.
“Cricket? Second? That’s a lie,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t know anybody in Europe who watches cricket, let’s be honest.”
Even when the host confirmed the rankings, the Belgian playmaker refused to back down. “Who? European people? No,” he protested, cracking up the in-studio crowd.
While the segment was meant to be fun and games, his comments went viral online — and cricket lovers were not amused.
Social media users flooded X with reminders that cricket is played in many parts of Europe, from the UK to the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, and Italy.
“Come visit Amsterdam on a summer weekend. You’ll think you’ve walked into the IPL,” one fan wrote. Another posted a cheeky response: “Kevin, meet 75 per cent of Leicester.”
Fans didn’t waste time setting the record straight, citing everything from immigrant communities keeping the cricket alive to booming T20 leagues and the growing European Cricket Championship.
The remark comes in the same week De Bruyne confirmed he will leave Manchester City at the end of this season.
In a social media post, the 33-year-old wrote: “This City. This club. These people... gave me EVERYTHING. I had no choice but to give EVERYTHING back. And guess what — we won everything.”
Since arriving from Wolfsburg in 2015, the Belgian midfielder has lifted six Premier League titles, a Champions League crown, and a total of 14 major trophies with the Sky Blues. He’s also racked up 118 assists in the Premier League and was twice named the players' player of the year.
“Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter,” he wrote.
Whether or not that next chapter involves a crash course in cricket is anyone’s guess, fans are already joking about sending him a bat and a rulebook as a parting gift.
