Napoli suffered their first defeat of the 2025-26 Serie A season against AC Milan, led by a standout performance from Christian Pulisic. But much of the postgame attention shifted to the dugout, where head coach Antonio Conte sent a warning to Kevin De Bruyne after the Belgian star showed frustration at being substituted.
De Bruyne arrived from Manchester City as Napoli’s marquee signing and has been central to Conte’s plans, helping the team open the season with four straight league wins. But against Milan, he made headlines for the wrong reasons, despite finding the scoresheet.
After an assist and a goal from Pulisic put Milan in control, De Bruyne cut the deficit from the penalty spot in the 60th minute to bring Napoli back into the match. His night, however, ended in the 72nd minute when he was replaced by Eljif Elmas.
Visibly frustrated, De Bruyne made his way off the pitch with a dry handshake for Conte before sitting down on the bench, showing his displeasure. Napoli couldn’t find an equalizer, and the loss ended their perfect start in the Serie A, falling to the second place on the table.
Conte’s decision to substitute De Bruyne has become a recurring theme. Since joining the club, the midfielder has completed the full 90 minutes in just two of his six appearances, despite starting every game. The most notable example came in the Champions League opener at Manchester City, when Conte withdrew him in the 26th minute following Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s early red card, cutting short his highly anticipated Etihad return.
Conte addresses De Bruyne’s reaction
The midfielder’s frustration on Sunday appeared tied to his frequent substitutions, as well as the timing, leaving the pitch in a crucial moment with Napoli chasing the game against 10-man Milan. His visible anger drew attention from the media, and Conte did not shy away from responding.
“I hope De Bruyne was upset about the substitution because of the result; otherwise, he picked the wrong person,” Conte said in his post-match press conference, making it clear he would not tolerate the midfielder directing frustration toward him.
The coach stood by his decisions, insisting the substitutions were the right calls. “I tried to bring in fresh players for one-on-one situations, since Milan was sitting deep. I replaced (Rasmus) Højlund with (Lorenzo) Lucca. There’s not much to say—I think the substitutions were correct,” Conte said, looking ahead to Napoli’s upcoming Champions League clash with Sporting Lisbon.