The Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament already features several global football greats.
And in another world, Premier League star Kevin de Bruyne could have taken part as well.
Born in Dronen, Belgium in 1991, De Bruyne has already made close to a century of national team appearances for his country.
Despite having taken part in two Fifa World Cups for Belgium, the prospect of what might have been for the Man City man is worth looking at as he was eligible to represent Burundi.
De Bruyne’s mother Anna was born in Burundi, where her grandfather ran oil companies.
According to the Daily Express, the player now actively participates in his family business working in petroleum engineering.
Currently ranked 139th in the world, Burundi made their first appearance at Afcon in 2019, and now have the likes of Saido Berahino and Gael Bigirimana representing them.
The East African nation’s chances of having De Bruyne in their team were ruled out as long ago as 2010 when the 32-year-old made his Belgium debut.
Fifa rules do not allow players to change nationality once they make their debuts for their national team.
De Bruyne made an incredible return from injury in City’s 3-2 win over Newcastle United on Saturday.
Pictured above: Kevin de Bruyne.
Image source: @dxbruyneszn
