Ever thought about kicking back with a game of cricket after a long day? Well, it seems not everyone feels that way! Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne was caught off guard recently when he found out just how much cricket is actually enjoyed in Europe. Along with his teammate James McAtee, De Bruyne participated in a fun quiz segment for Manchester City called ‘AI Showdown’. The challenge was pretty simple: name the five most popular sports across Europe.
When the results were unveiled, it turned out that football topped the list, but cricket came in at a surprising second. Basketball, tennis, and Formula 1 rounded out the top five. De Bruyne’s reaction was priceless—he looked genuinely shocked and even managed to crack everyone up when he said, “How can cricket be second on the list? That’s a lie,” followed by, “I don’t know anybody in Europe who watches cricket, let’s be honest.” His disbelief was quite something, and it had everyone in stitches.
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While cricket isn’t as popular as football, it’s actually becoming a bigger deal in Europe, thanks to the growth of the European Cricket Council. Believe it or not, Europe has 33 members in the International Cricket Council (ICC), which is the highest number of any region. Countries like Scotland and the Netherlands are pushing to be among the top Associate members, while newer members like Hungary and Serbia are starting to build their fan bases. Cricket is definitely not the go-to sport like football, but it’s making some strides, especially in areas with lots of South Asian communities.
When the presenter insisted that cricket really is popular, De Bruyne couldn’t hold back his disbelief, retorting humorously, “Who? European people? No.” He continued to riff on this theme, saying that he keeps an eye on almost all other sports except for cricket. “Yeah, I watch everything else except cricket,” he quipped. The studio erupted in laughter, showing just how funny his take on cricket was.
Just a quick note: De Bruyne made headlines last Friday when he announced he would be leaving Manchester City after this season. After an incredible 10 years with the club, he’s ready to move on. During his time at City, he’s helped the team snag six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five EFL Cups, and even the UEFA Champions League trophy last season. Since joining back in 2015, the Belgian midfielder has really been the driving force in their midfield. It’s hard to believe that he was once considered too much at Chelsea but then went on to show his true talent with teams in Germany, eventually making a name for himself as one of the Premier League’s best players.
