Mateo Kovacic was among the Manchester City newboys to win their first-ever Premier League title at the end of the 2023/24 season.
The 30-year-old midfielder played an admirable role in helping his side to the finish line. Kovacic might’ve only scored one goal in 30 Premier League appearances, but his ability to help Manchester City control matches, retain possession, and distribute the ball did not go unnoticed.
The Croatian midfielder enjoyed his first-ever Premier League title with his teammates in style, partying at the Etihad Stadium and also having a fun time in the dressing room.
As the Manchester City media team recorded the entire parade, there was one moment involving Kovacic that has seemingly gone viral on social media, albeit for wrong reasons.
At one point after the West Ham match, Mateo is seen conversing with his fellow midfielder Kevin de Bruyne. The Belgian star seems visibly chuffed for Kovacic and just tells him ‘This is what you came for!’.
De Bruyne instantly started to earn flak from rival fans, mocking him for his lack of knowledge and some even claiming that he tried to belittle Kovacic in this.
Before his move to Manchester City, the Croatian midfielder tasted the glory of winning major trophies multiple times. He was part of Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League three-peat squad from 2015-18 and even won the 2016/17 La Liga title with them.
Kovacic was also fortunate enough to win the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, marking his fourth European medal.
Automatically, some fans tried to mock De Bruyne for not being aware of Kovacic’s past achievements and trying to insinuate that this was the first time the Croatian won a major trophy. However, most people seem to have taken the Belgian midfielder’s comments without knowing the proper context.
What De Bruyne might have been pointing at with his comment could be about what Kovacic said upon joining the Cityzens back in 2023.
Upon his move to the Blue side of Manchester, the Croatian midfielder insisted that he joined the club to win major trophies and said: “I enjoyed nice years but now it’s time to turn a new page and win. Man City is the perfect club where you can win a lot and I’ll do my best to try to win every year. Collecting trophies is the most important thing. I want to win the Premier League!”
De Bruyne could have been just making a throwback to Kovacic’s comments on wanting to win a Premier League in Blue colors.
Kovacic was absolutely buzzing with joy and not seem to have taken any offence whatsoever at De Bruyne’s comments. Now that this ‘objective’ is fulfilled, Kovacic will be aiming to win even more trophies and probably look to win his fifth Champions League medal with the Cityzens in the next few seasons.