De Bruyne uses teammate Vergara to highlight one of Italian football’s biggest problems

Belgian Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has used Napoli teammate Antonio Vergara’s delayed breakthrough to highlight what he sees as a major difference between Italy and countries such as England and Belgium in developing young players.

Kevin De Bruyne has used Napoli teammate Antonio Vergara as a striking example of what he believes is one of the biggest problems in Italian football: young players are not given enough opportunities to establish themselves at the highest level.

Speaking about the 23-year-old midfielder, De Bruyne admitted he initially assumed Vergara was only 18 when he arrived, before discovering that he was already 23.

The Belgian believes the situation reflects a wider difference in football culture between Italy and countries such as England and Belgium, where talented teenagers are often trusted with senior responsibilities much earlier.

“You need to give youngsters a chance,” De Bruyne said, arguing that regular competitive football is essential if emerging players are to fulfil their potential.

Vergara’s career illustrates the issue particularly clearly. A product of Napoli’s youth system, he spent time on loan at Pro Vercelli and Reggiana before gradually breaking into the first-team picture.

His progress was also interrupted by a serious knee injury during his time with Reggiana, further delaying his development. Now, however, the midfielder is beginning to make an impression at Napoli, scoring after coming off the bench in the opening-day victory over Genoa.

De Bruyne played a major role in that breakthrough, scoring Napoli’s opener before setting up Vergara for the second goal in a 2-0 victory.

The experienced midfielder believes Vergara now needs consistency rather than another spell watching from the sidelines, stressing that playing regularly will be crucial to his development.

His comments have reopened the long-running conversation about Serie A’s approach to youth development, particularly when compared with leagues where teenage players are more frequently integrated into first-team football.

For De Bruyne, Vergara is not simply a promising teammate but evidence of how much talent can potentially be left waiting when young players are not trusted early enough.