Sports
Kevin De Bruyne Slams Former Manager Antonio Conte After His Napoli Exit
Kevin De Bruyne has criticised former manager Antonio Conte, just days after his departure from Napoli.
Conte led Napoli to their fourth Scudetto in his debut season. He didn’t have as much success in his second season, though.
Napoli were unable to retain their Serie A title as they finished second, a distant 11 points behind Inter Milan. They also had a dismal Champions League campaign as they were knocked out in the League Phase.
While they didn’t end the campaign trophyless as they won the Supercoppa Italiana, Conte left the club by mutual consent at the conclusion of the season.
Kevin De Bruyne Criticises Antonio Conte
De Bruyne’s opening season at Napoli didn’t go as well as he would have hoped. The Belgian suffered a serious thigh injury in October, which kept him out of action for four months. He was limited to just 21 matches, recording five goals and four assists.
The 34-year-old has now remarkably called out Conte in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad ahead of this summer’s World Cup. He started:
“Obviously it was difficult for me because Conte has a very different vision of football to mine. In truth, I never had the opportunity to play in my preferred position. In any case, I always tried to give my all for the team.”
De Bruyne then criticised Conte’s style of play and accused him of making false promises. He continued:
“We played very defensively. If you try to win every game by a one-goal margin with a 4-5-1 formation, you play a certain type of football. At the start of the season, we sat back even deeper. Our centre-forward scored just 10 goals, so you know the statistics are not going to be great…”
When asked whether De Bruyne was happy whether Conte had left the club, he replied: “For me, yes. As far as I am concerned, he was not obliged to stay. There were promises made last summer on the way that we would be playing, but at the end of the day not much of it happened.
“I found that a pity. Football needs to be enjoyable, and unfortunately I found that aspect lacking. There’s no point beating around the bush, we have different visions of football. I never got to play in my position under Conte.”
De Bruyne has also said he could leave the club this summer amid frustration about how things have turned out at the Italian club.
“I still have a year left on my contract, but I want to talk about it. There was a lot of talk last year of how we’d play and what we would do, but none of it happened,” he said.
De Bruyne’s attention has now turned to the World Cup. The Manchester City legend has been named in Belgium’s squad alongside the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Jeremy Doku and Thibaut Courtois.
Arguably the most heated storyline in all of modern-day professional wrestling came to a head on Saturday night as ‘The Real’ El Grande Americano defeated ‘The Original’ El Grande Americano in a ‘Mask vs Mask’ match.
The two Superstars have been feuding for months, with many of their battles taking place on WWE Monday Night Raw. However, it is in Mexico where the rivalry has really captured the imagination of fans.
What started out as a parody character on weekly television transformed into a culturally significant figure via the WWE-owned AAA promotion in Mexico.
The El Grande Americano Character Explored
Initially designed as a gimmick to antagonise WWE’s luchadors on Raw, El Grande Americano was positioned as an obnoxious heel who many felt was mocking American culture.
Determined to push the character, WWE gave him a number of high profile wins, including a victory over Rey Fenix at WrestleMania 41. El Grande Americano then began to appear in AAA where he was pushed as one of the promotion’s top stars.
When the man under the mask got injured in the summer of 2025, though, WWE decided they didn’t want to lose the character from television. As a result, they took the unusual step of recasting the Superstar.
The mask was handed to Ludvig Kaiser, who looked absolutely nothing like the first El Grande Americano. Fans were immediately it on the ‘secret’, but when Kaiser started using the character to geniunely promote Mexican culture, the people took him to their hearts.
As a result, ‘The Real’ El Grande Americano became the most popular Superstar in all of AAA, something that didn’t sit well with the original man under the mask.
Ever since ‘The Original’ El Grande Americano returned at this year’s Royal Rumble, the duo have been on a collision course, with a ‘Mask vs Mask’ match always being the logical conclusion to their feud.
The match was briefly threatened by Kaiser’s recent arrest, but the German-born Superstar was able to get clearance to return to Mexico in order to perform.
‘The Original’ El Grande Americano Unmasked
The high-stakes contest headlined the first night of the AAA Noche de los Grandes special at Arena Monterrey in Mexico. A rabid crowd was in attendance to witness the culmination of the El Grande Americano civil war.
After a heated No Disqualification match, it was Kaiser’s ‘Real’ El Grande Americano who got his hand raised, meaning it was time for ‘The Original’ to unmask.
In what had always been an open secret, the originator of the El Grande Americano character was revealed to be Chad Gable. However, the seriousness with which the crowd and Gable himself treated the moment made it truly special.
Gable had his family by his side as he unmasked, with the crowd immediately chanting his name as soon as his face was visible. The former US Olympian looked highly emotional as he spoke to the fans in Spanish to confirm his true idenitity.
Handing his mask to his opponent, Gable declared:
“I will always be the original El Grande Americano, but, from now on, you are the ONLY El Grande Americano!”
Although he has been unmasked, the success of the storyline is likely to see Gable remain a part of AAA.
Arguably the most heated storyline in all of modern-day professional wrestling came to a head on Saturday night as ‘The Real’ El Grande Americano defeated ‘The Original’ El Grande Americano in a ‘Mask vs Mask’ match.
The two Superstars have been feuding for months, with many of their battles taking place on WWE Monday Night Raw. However, it is in Mexico where the rivalry has really captured the imagination of fans.
What started out as a parody character on weekly television transformed into a culturally significant figure via the WWE-owned AAA promotion in Mexico.
The El Grande Americano Character Explored
Initially designed as a gimmick to antagonise WWE’s luchadors on Raw, El Grande Americano was positioned as an obnoxious heel who many felt was mocking American culture.
Determined to push the character, WWE gave him a number of high profile wins, including a victory over Rey Fenix at WrestleMania 41. El Grande Americano then began to appear in AAA where he was pushed as one of the promotion’s top stars.
When the man under the mask got injured in the summer of 2025, though, WWE decided they didn’t want to lose the character from television. As a result, they took the unusual step of recasting the Superstar.
The mask was handed to Ludvig Kaiser, who looked absolutely nothing like the first El Grande Americano. Fans were immediately it on the ‘secret’, but when Kaiser started using the character to geniunely promote Mexican culture, the people took him to their hearts.
As a result, ‘The Real’ El Grande Americano became the most popular Superstar in all of AAA, something that didn’t sit well with the original man under the mask.
Ever since ‘The Original’ El Grande Americano returned at this year’s Royal Rumble, the duo have been on a collision course, with a ‘Mask vs Mask’ match always being the logical conclusion to their feud.
The match was briefly threatened by Kaiser’s recent arrest, but the German-born Superstar was able to get clearance to return to Mexico in order to perform.
‘The Original’ El Grande Americano Unmasked
The high-stakes contest headlined the first night of the AAA Noche de los Grandes special at Arena Monterrey in Mexico. A rabid crowd was in attendance to witness the culmination of the El Grande Americano civil war.
After a heated No Disqualification match, it was Kaiser’s ‘Real’ El Grande Americano who got his hand raised, meaning it was time for ‘The Original’ to unmask.
In what had always been an open secret, the originator of the El Grande Americano character was revealed to be Chad Gable. However, the seriousness with which the crowd and Gable himself treated the moment made it truly special.
Gable had his family by his side as he unmasked, with the crowd immediately chanting his name as soon as his face was visible. The former US Olympian looked highly emotional as he spoke to the fans in Spanish to confirm his true idenitity.
Handing his mask to his opponent, Gable declared:
“I will always be the original El Grande Americano, but, from now on, you are the ONLY El Grande Americano!”
Although he has been unmasked, the success of the storyline is likely to see Gable remain a part of AAA.
Ousmane Dembele helped Paris Saint-Germain secure their second successive Champions League title on Saturday night.
The world-class winger and current holder of the Ballon d’Or award scored the all-important goal from the penalty spot that levelled the final against Arsenal. PSG then went on to win the final in Budapest after a separate penalty shootout.
And what a penalty it was, too. Dembele is naturally left-footed and shaped to shoot on his favoured side before converting an unstoppable right-footed strike past David Raya, arguably the greatest goalkeeper in the world right now. Watch Dembele’s penalty below:
20 Most Two-Footed Players in Football History (Ranked)
It’s hard to work out the ‘stronger’ and ‘weaker’ feet of these football greats.
The first time it was noticed that Dembele chose to take penalties with his weaker right-foot was back in his days at Stade Rennais. When asked about the unusual decision, the attacker provided a short but sweet explanation that he preferred to shoot with his weaker side because he could generate more power.
The French international elaborated on this further after joining Barcelona in 2017, saying:
“I’m ambidextrous. I prefer to dribble with the left, but I like shooting with my right foot.”
Being ambidextrous means having the ability to use both the right and left hands with equal proficiency. This skill is rare and can be natural or developed through practice.
More often than not, this is apparent when people are able to write or use cutlery with both hands. But in the case of Dembele, it’s made him an even more unpredictable player as he has the ability to cut in on his left or dribble down the right in equally devastating fashion.
Dembele Could Win Ballon d’Or Again
PSG’s latest Champions League triumph under Luis Enrique means Dembele has catapulted himself into pole position for the 2026 Ballon d’Or award. The Frenchman previously trailed the likes of Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe but now sits in top spot with less than five months to go before the ceremony.
Dembele, who has scored 20 goals and registered 11 assists in 40 games this season, could become the first player to retain the Ballon d’Or since Lionel Messi in 2021. However, much will depend on how France perform at this summer’s 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
If France win the tournament with Dembele playing a starring role, he’ll inevitably become the red-hot favouite to win the Ballon d’Or again and cements his status as one of the greats of his generation in the process.
Original El Grande Americano Unmasked as Chad Gable in Mask vs Mask Match
Original El Grande Americano Unmasked as Chad Gable in Mask vs Mask Match
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