KEVIN DE BRUYNE looked devastated as he was carried off the pitch injured after SCORING.
The former Manchester City star netted a first-half penalty against Inter Milan to put his side ahead at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The penalty was awarded after the referee judged former Arsenal and Man United star Henrikh Mkhitaryan to have fouled Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
VAR suggested that Maurizio Mariani have another look at the incident but he decided to stick with his decision and point to the spot.
De Bruyne, 34, took the responsibility of taking the penalty and converted the chance from 12 yards.
It was the 15th time in his career that he has scored from the spot, his last miss came against Liverpool in 2020.
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But his celebrations were cut short after he appeared to pull his hamstring taking the penalty.
As he started to run off from the spot he stopped in his tracks and felt the back of his right thigh.
His team-mates were immediately concerned as they huddled around him to check how he way.
Manager Antonio Conte could be seen looking on from the touchline trying to see if his talisman would be okay to continue.
But that would not be the case as De Bruyne was assessed by the Napoli medical staff.
They then helped him off the pitch before he was ultimately taken away in a buggy.
The Belgian midfielder looked devastated by the setback which could now rule him out of action for a substantial period of time.
He could be seen covering his face with his shirt as he was sat in the back of the buggy.
He has received plenty of support from fans on social media hoping he has a quick recovery.
One posted: “Hopefully he is not out for too long.”
A second wrote: “Wishing Kevin De Bruyne a speedy recovery!”
A third commented: “Hoping it is not as bad as it looks.”
A fourth said: “Such a shame for De Bruyne.”
Another added: “Really hope it does not ruin his season.”
Conte was forced into the change as he subbed De Bruyne off and replaced him with Mathías Olivera.
De Bruyne showed his class as he re-emerged before the game finished to continue supporting his team-mates against Inter.
He would have been relieved at full-time as his team-mates were able to see out a 3-1 win.
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Scott McTominay doubled the lead before Hakan Calhanoglu cut the deficit in half.
Former Fulham ace Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa made it three for the hosts and wrapped up the win.
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