Kevin De Bruyne has revealed he'd been playing with a partially torn hamstring for the final two months of the season.
The Belgian midfielder was subbed off in the 36th minute of the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday, being replaced by Phil Foden in a game which Man City would go on to win thanks to a single goal from Champions League player of the season Rodri.
De Bruyne has now revealed the extent of the injury which meant he had to subbed off early on Saturday, stating that after dealing with 'small ruptures' in his hamstring for a number of months he then torn the muscle completely in the final.
“I’ve been struggling for two months, since the Bayern Munich away game," he told the media. "They were all small ruptures but today I snapped it all the way so I wasn’t able to go on.”
READ MORE REACTION TO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
“I’ve been told for two months there’s a possibility I was at risk but, you know, you take it. I try to be available for my team and I know with the type of player I am there is sometimes a possibility with all the power and the type of runs I make and the intensity with which I play that I put my body on the line. But that’s fine. I do everything to win the game. And sometimes it’s hard. In the final, the hamstring just snapped.”
It was the second consecutive Champions League final in which De Bruyne has gone off injured - having suffered a facial injury in the 2020 final - but this time City had enough in their locker to still come out on top.
The win on Saturday meant that De Bruyne and Man City completed a historic treble, becoming just the second team in English football history to win the Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League in the same season.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Kevin De Bruyne reveals extent of Champions League final injury.