Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne has earned his UEFA A licence coaching diploma.
He was joined by nine other Belgium international teammates including Leicester’s Youri Tielemans, Leandro Trossard of Brighton and ex-City defender Dedryck Boyata in gaining the qualification. As per De Telegraaf, they were all presented with their awards on Tuesday ahead of their Nations League fixtures.
These achievements all stem from an initiative launched by the Belgian FA after the 2018 World Cup. Nineteen of the qualifying squad for the tournament who had 50 caps or more were allowed to embark on an unprecedented project which allowed players complete their B and A licence courses while on international duty.
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De Bruyne had been taking sessions with City’s youth sides earlier this season as part of the diploma, as now appears. Normally, footballers have to be retired to undertake it but UEFA granted the Belgian FA special dispensation.
The scheme was set up to help the ‘golden generation’ - who finished third in Russia’s World Cup finals - pursue a career in the game after they hang their playing boots. However, in April, De Bruyne admitted he is not sure whether he will immediately step into a dugout post-retirement, according to the Daily Mail.
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