Celebrated similar to Maradona – will the Belgian maestro come back to haunt Man City?

The Premier League champions see once more a former star who might return to challenge them as they kick off their UCL campaign this week.

The Belgian playmaker claimed sixteen titles in a lengthy stay at City; arrangements exist to commemorate him with a monument outside their home venue.

The midfield maestro left City when his deal ran out in June and, emphatically noting it was not his choice to leave, is now plotting their downfall with Napoli.

His switch to Serie A has been praised and equated with that of iconic Argentine Diego Maradona, who is still celebrated by the Napoli’s supporters.

"After Maradona, Napoli did not acquire a player as renowned as De Bruyne," commented a Naples-based journalist. "The legend joined at the prime of his career, but arrives at 34."

"Without doubt what Maradona meant to the club back then, De Bruyne is the modern iteration now for the president," he added.

"I can imagine after all those beautiful years in Manchester, he aims to leave his mark and be a triumph. He has declared he aims to claim Serie A and intends to demonstrate strong performances in the Champions League too."

The skipper Giovanni di Lorenzo remarked De Bruyne arrived at the club with "modesty" and described him as a "exceptional talent".

The defender stated: "He avoided discussing former colleagues, but I am sure he will be happy to revisit in this stadium where he enjoyed many memorable performances."

"He is going to be welcomed warmly. The crowd will be happy to see him and he is worthy of it."

A key element of the manager’s updated plan

Ex-Chelsea and Spurs boss Antonio Conte orchestrated Napoli's league title success the previous campaign and they have commenced this campaign in impressive fashion, occupying first place of the table again with a flawless opening after three games.

The late Maradona led their league successes in 1987 and 1990 – they ended a long drought without a league trophy anew in 2023, but lost their way the next campaign by finishing in the bottom half.

The manager assumed control and implemented a formation he was familiar with – a solid base with three at the back, and a team that was physically imposing with the Belgian striker up front.

Napoli edged top spot recently ahead of Inter Milan by a one-point margin, letting in only 27 goals from their league matches and with Lukaku topping the club's goal tally with fourteen strikes.

After taking the team to a tough pre-season retreat in a remote location, Conte is now aiming to transition into a more ball-dominant system and the striker’s setback has sped up the process with the arrival of Rasmus Hojlund from United on a temporary deal with an obligation to buy permanently down the line.

"De Bruyne is the fundamental point of Conte's 2.0 project," added the journalist. "He has a player that is at the pinnacle of football players."

"Over recent seasons, Napoli have not had a player of the quality of De Bruyne. They have had promising talents who were aiming for the elite tier of football including Victor Osimhen, Edinson Cavani and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia."

"He remains the one that is highly regarded when coming to Naples and is technically on another level in contrast with the team members. He is the only one skilled enough to playing the ball long distances with pinpoint delivery. He is an important resource of Conte because he brings something unique."

It was reported frustration from De Bruyne that City did not present him a renewal before his departure.

Post a touching goodbye from the club which moved boss Pep Guardiola to tears, the midfielder is set to receive a hero's welcome during the match as he returns to a place he calls "where he belongs".

The player looks to have settled seamlessly at his new residence, netting two efforts in his initial matches, and the City players will be aware of personally the quality he brings.

Guardiola said it will be "good to welcome him" and players at De Bruyne's level "don't need duration to adapt".

"I’ve talked to Kevin and have asked him a couple of points," noted Conte. "For a decade he remained part of this club for 10 years and has had a great coach like Pep Guardiola."

"He should be excited to be performing but I am expecting after the first whistle he will focus and keep in mind that he is on the books of Napoli and perform in the manner he has shown so far."

Previous Red Devils players to seek retribution?

Danish striker Hojlund was unceremoniously moved on by Manchester United and both he and Scott McTominay were probably glad they departed after witnessing their ex-side taken apart by City in Sunday's three-nil Premier League win.

Hojlund, 22, is looking to put his difficult spell at Old Trafford behind him and began his Napoli tenure in perfect style, netting on his debut in a three-one win at Fiorentina recently.

Engine McTominay made an analogous move the previous off-season by escaping the turmoil of United in switching to Naples and the the Scot quickly turned into a cult hero, netting multiple goals to motivate their league triumph.

Such has been his contribution, the Scottish star has a large painting similar to Maradona in the city and has been shortlisted to win the highly regarded Ballon d'Or award for the top performer in the world – something which would have been unlikely while at United.

Conte said he spotted "promising ability" in McTominay and {could