Kevin De Bruyne (born 1991) and Michele Lacroix (born 1993) have an interesting love story, starting with a message on Twitter (now X) that the captain of the Belgian team did not even send.
Michele turned De Bruyne's life around after he suffered a heartbreaking cheating scandal. For over 10 years, she has been a constant companion in the Manchester City midfielder's life and career. They have two sons and a "little princess" together.
"All the good things that have happened to me in football are nothing compared to my wife and children," De Bruyne shared in an interview with The Players' Tribune in 2019.
Love blossomed from a text message
Kevin De Bruyne shyly recounts how he met his wife around 2013. "It all started with a tweet," he revealed.
At that time, De Bruyne was just playing for Werder Bremen (Germany) and had only a few thousand followers on his personal page. One day, the player posted a comment about a match and Michele liked it. Coincidentally, the female student majoring in Engineering at Hasselt University (Belgium) had once served at the Genk Football Academy (Belgium).
"I was single at the time and my friend noticed. He said: 'Isn't she pretty? You should send her a message,'" De Bruyne recalled.
Faced with the unexpected suggestion, the midfielder born in 1991 waved his hand and said: "She won't answer." Immediately, his friend grabbed his phone and started typing a message.
"Okay, can I send it?" the friend asked, showing it to De Bruyne. Curled up on the floor, the young player agreed, "Okay, send it."
De Bruyne laughed and admitted that he did not dare to talk to Michele. Thanks to his friend's help, he met his wife and dated her after a few months of chatting.
After the scandal about his ex-girlfriend's relationship with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, De Bruyne gradually calmed down thanks to the beautiful love that had just blossomed. "I don't know what I would do without her," said the Belgian midfielder.
For De Bruyne, his wife is the most important person in his life. The player is always grateful to Michele who sacrificed everything at the age of 19 to follow him and help him conquer his dream and escape his own shell.
Football is important, family is too
Michele discovered she was pregnant with her first child during the 2015 transfer window, when Kevin De Bruyne was being eyed by three "big names" - Manchester City, PSG and Bayern Munich.
The couple went through a stressful time not knowing where they would move to. The anxiety led to Michele being hospitalized with stomach pains and bleeding. It was the worst moment of De Bruyne’s life. He was terrified of losing his child but could only sit there, helpless.
"One minute all you think about is a football transfer. And then suddenly your world is turned upside down," he recalled.
Luckily, their son was fine. After that shock, De Bruyne realized that football was not a matter of survival. "Maybe I was too passionate about football for the first 23 years of my life. But when I met my wife, especially after our first son was born, I no longer had to carry everything alone," he said.
When De Bruyne decided to join Manchester City, things gradually fell into place for his little family. In December 2016, the midfielder proposed to his girlfriend at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Half a year later, the couple held hands and said their vows in Sorrento, Italy.
After the wedding, Michele shared the moment the two exchanged a kiss on Instagram with a simple caption: "June 26, 2017". Meanwhile, De Bruyne sweetly told his other half: "So proud, now I can officially call you my wife!".
In the following years, every time his wedding anniversary came, De Bruyne never forgot to express his love and appreciation for the woman who had been by his side since he was still a relatively unknown player in football.
In response, Michele is often present at the Etihad - a stadium in Manchester, England - to cheer on her husband's matches and share important moments in his career. She and her husband also actively participate in many charitable organizations to help those in need.
Besides being the wife of one of the world's best midfielders, Michele is also known as a social media influencer with nearly 600,000 followers. She co-hosts a Dutch podcast called "Secret Society" for women.
Many people are curious about who the friend who texted Kevin De Bruyne to meet his wife is? It is the Belgian player - Kenneth Staelens. He started playing football at Genk with De Bruyne but if his best friend was promoted to the first team after graduating from the academy, he would have to play for Roda in the Netherlands. In 2012, Staelens returned to Belgium and still plays for clubs in the lower leagues.
Staelens once said that thanks to Michele, De Bruyne became much more open. He was no longer "floating in the clouds", only focusing on football, but also knew what it was like to attend a party. To this day, they are still good friends, traveling together and always supporting each other in life and career.
Photo: IGNV
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giai-tri/moi-tinh-dinh-menh-tu-dong-tin-nhan-tren-mang-cua-doi-truong-tuyen-bi-20240625000940934.htm
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