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For a footballer who has been voted the best player in the Bundesliga in one season and the Premier League in two more, Kevin De Bruyne could be forgiven for feeling a bit undervalued and underappreciated. Not by his peers, however, but by his family. It transpires he is not even the most popular player in the De Bruyne household. His seven-year-old son, Mason, had a kickabout on the Etihad Stadium pitch with his favourite footballer as Manchester City celebrated their Premier League title win. It wasn’t his father. He prefers the man with 52 goals, Erling Haaland, to the one with 28 assists, his dad. "It is not a problem,” said De Bruyne. “All three children have long hair. Erling is a superstar. I see that with the kids at [their] school too. They all have hair like that. It's funny. My children have all become interested in football this year. They attend more games. They are also starting to play football themselves. My eldest in particular is starting to realise a little more what is going on. He wants to come to games more. He came to see Bayern. He begins to experience and enjoy it more. As long as they like it, it's okay." All of which was a characteristically unflustered response. De Bruyne’s first Champions League final ended abruptly when he was clattered by Antonio Rudiger, leaving him with a broken nose and fractured eye socket. Another might have talked of revenge or lucklessness. Not De Bruyne. “I don't look at what happened two years ago with bad feelings. You go on, you move on,” he said. It is why he has been City’s down-to-earth superstar. Asked what is different from 2021, he gave a grounded response. “I have a daughter now. So that’s a change,” he said. He marked their FA Cup win last weekend by going home, looking after his children for a couple of days and playing football and games with them. “My wife had to do some stuff somewhere else,” he shrugged. Winning the Champions League, he smiled, would be a relief because he would no longer have to face questions if his career was complete without it. He can be eminently reasonable about it. “I always want to give the best Kevin on the field,” he rationalised. “I know that sometimes things go less and sometimes better. But as I say: we want to win everything, but it is also not possible to win everything.” And yet, irritating and repetitive as some of the questions may be, there is a point. For an astonishingly successful player, arguably the finest in both City and Belgium’s greatest teams, De Bruyne has been denied the very biggest prizes. Belgium’s golden generation almost certainly won’t win anything now, their disastrous World Cup seeming to bring an era to an end. Meanwhile De Bruyne may now be the best footballer of his generation who has not won the Champions League. Of the top 10 finishers in last year’s Ballon d’Or voting, seven have done it. There is plenty of time for Kylian Mbappe and Haaland, still both in their early twenties. De Bruyne turns 32 this month. He is the exception. He often is: the 2021 top 10 consisted of seven Champions League winners, Mbappe, Gianluigi Donnarumma, named player of the tournament in Euro 2020, and De Bruyne. The Belgian can be animated when arguing with Pep Guardiola during games – “moments between competitive persons… I don’t see a problem with that” – but his overall outlook is rather calmer. “I’m happy with the way that I am,” he said. “Obviously I know it will help whatever people say about me and the team. It doesn’t put me in bad or good places. I’ve been here eight years and it’s been incredible. Could I come here and think about all the amount of games and trophies we would win in eight years? Probably not.” That sense of perspective might be an asset. De Bruyne has won the Premier League five times in six seasons. He is not about to say it is too many, but there is a routine feel to it. He recognises it is a strange kind of normal. “I think that we are getting a bit used to the success that we are experiencing now,” he said. “Maybe that's a bit of a pity. But I think, eventually when my career is over, there will be times when I look back on things that have been accomplished.” Which is a lengthy list. But the immediate focus is on what could be accomplished. De Bruyne is the sole survivor of City’s first Champions League semi-final, under Manuel Pellegrini in 2016. Seven years on, he is the constant, Haaland the exciting newcomer who has captured his children’s imagination. But perhaps a Haaland winner in the Champions League final would suit both Mason and Kevin de Bruyne. Read More How to cure ‘City-itis’? Pep Guardiola has new template to end Champions League woe First golf, now football? Saudi Arabia’s grand plan and the 72 hours that changed everything Kyle Walker recalls ‘tough’ memory and reveals three teams Man City want to emulate

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Celtic had Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm sent off within five minutes of each other as they opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 defeat by Feyenoord in Rotterdam. Calvin Stengs gave Feyenoord the lead in first-half stoppage-time when his 30-yard free-kick evaded a poor attempt at a defensive wall. Joe Hart saved a penalty after Lagerbielke received a second yellow card and substitute Holm soon got a straight red card in the 68th minute. Alireza Jahanbakhsh got the home side’s second goal. Centre-back Lagerbielke was one of two summer signings in the Celtic starting line-up with Nat Phillips ruled out by an ankle injury. The other, winger Luis Palma, made his first start for the club. There was a lively atmosphere inside De Kuip for the first meeting between the teams since Feyenoord’s 1970 European Cup final triumph and the first Champions League game in the stadium for six seasons. Celtic took the edge off the atmosphere with a positive start and Reo Hatate got the first shot on target after the Hoops won the ball high up the park, but his effort lacked power. Celtic continued to look comfortable and could have made more of their possession had Hatate and Daizen Maeda been sharper on the ball at times. The hosts rarely threatened to get in behind in the opening half hour and on the one occasion they did Alistair Johnston came across to cover. Hatate’s pass got Matt O’Riley in behind but his ball towards Kyogo Furuhashi was cut out and Hart made his first save in the 34th minute when he pushed over Yankubah Minteh’s long-range strike. Maeda broke away and saw a dangerous effort pushed wide despite being fouled in the act of shooting. The Japan international was soon culpable for a counter-attack the other way after stopping in anticipation of a throw-in as Johnston kept the ball in, but Hart saved from Quiulindschy Hartman. Celtic looked set to go into the dressing room deservedly level before O’Riley gave away a free-kick. Celtic’s wall failed to provide much protection especially as Furuhashi inadvertently got out of the way of the ball as he jumped. Stengs’ shot curled away from Hart with the goalkeeper unable to keep it out despite getting his hands on it. Palma cut inside and saw his shot beaten away after the interval before Holm came on along with Yang Hyun-jun in the 58th minute. Celtic were soon down to 10 men though. Lagerbielke had been booked in the first half for bringing down an opponent after his own poor control, and the Swede caught Igor Paixao in the throat with his arm as he tried to jockey the forward in the box. Hart saved Paixao’s penalty as he dived to his right. Brendan Rodgers brought on midfielder Tomoki Iwata for Furuhashi to play alongside Liam Scales in central defence. Celtic’s task got even harder when Holm lunged in for a challenge and caught Mats Wieffer high up his shin. The visitors were rightly frustrated that Bosnian referee Irfan Peljto had failed to award a clear foul against Scales seconds earlier but there was little doubt about the red card decision that followed. Stengs set up Lutsharel Geertruida to score from the resulting free-kick but the goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR check. The extra men counted in the 76th minute though when Jahanbakhsh fired high into the net from 12 yards and the closing stages were about damage limitation for Celtic. Read More Rodri’s attacking evolution is helping to fill Man City void Newcastle earn Milan draw but ‘group of death’ will reveal its true value Lazio goalkeeper scores stunning late equaliser in Champions League