There have been questions concerning what jersey number Kevin De Bruyne will be wearing at Napoli when the 2025/26 Serie A begins.
There have been initial reports that the Belgian will wear the legendary jersey number 10 which was previously worn by Diego Maradona.These conclusions were made by Napoli fans after Kevin De Bruyne was seen wearing the number 10 jersey during training.
Maradona single-handedly turned Napoli into a powerhouse of Italian and European football in the 1980s, leading the club to its first ever Serie A titles in 1986–87 and 1989–90.
When Maradona passed away at the age of 60 in 2020, Napoli renamed the stadium in his honour. The No. 10 shirt had already been permanently retired during his lifetime, in 2006.
The last player to officially wear it was Mariano Bogliacino in the Supercoppa di Lega C1, far down Italy’s football pyramid. The jersey was originally retired in 2000, but Napoli had to reissue it only four years later due to their demotion to Serie C1 and league regulations that started numbers 1–11 must be worn.
However, Napoli decided to give the Belgian the number 11 jersey which belongs to his fellow countryman, Romelu Lukaku who has worn the number when he joined in the 2024/25 season.
What did Kevin De Bruyne say about his move to Napoli?I spoke to Romelu and Dries [Mertens] to hear their opinion about the city, the club and how everything works but at the end of the day it was a decision I took with my wife and kids. I have known Romelu since he was 13 and we’re close friends. He’ll help me settle in as he can translate a bit for me and help me understand Italian football.”
The midfielder joined Napoli as a free agent from Manchester City at the end of the 2023/24 season despite wanting to remain with the Etihad club.
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