Kevin De Bruyne always comes across as cool, calm and collected on and off the pitch, so it was a shock to see the Manchester City star lose his head during a Champions League match against Napoli back in October 2017.City had taken a 2-0 lead in the match courtesy of early goals from Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus.Napoli pulled a goal back with just over 15 minutes remaining courtesy of Amadou Diawara but Pep Guardiola’s men held on to secure all three points.De Bruyne, meanwhile, was named Man of the Match following a typically instrumental performance for the Premier League side.But it was his uncharacteristic outburst at half-time which provided the biggest talking point on the night.As the two sets of players made their way off the pitch, De Bruyne was incensed and pushed Fernandinho out the way before screaming at David Silva: “Let me talk!”He repeated the words “let me talk!” several times - his voice becoming increasingly high-pitched on each occasion - as he tried to make his way to one of the match officials.Watch the footage here...
De Bruyne’s teammates eventually managed to convince him to walk down the tunnel - but why was he so mad?
Well, the Belgium international was shown a yellow card by referee Antonio Mateu shortly before half-time for dissent.
De Bruyne clearly felt the booking was harsh and attempted to make his way to the fourth official as soon as the half-time whistle was blown.
Prevented from speaking to the match officials by Fernandinho and Silva, De Bruyne’s frustration got the better of him.
However, it’s quite possible that De Bruyne’s teammates saved him from a second yellow card, given the mood he was in at the time.
Reacting to De Bruyne’s outburst, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand said on BT Sport: “He’s not one player you’d necessarily pick out and say ‘he’s got huge passion’.
"That’s what people think because he’s quite laid back and calm in the way he plays, but there is a steely passion inside him - you can see that - and he’s someone who wants to be the best.”
Indeed, fast-forward three years and De Bruyne is now regarded by many football fans as the Premier League’s best player.
Just remember to let him talk.