"I didn't do it before because I was young and I didn't have the profile I have now," De Bruyne, who turns 28 next Thursday on the same day Belgium play England in their final Group G fixture, told RTBF television.
When Russia and Saudi Arabia meet on Thursday form will be irrelevant as the world's biggest sporting festival explodes into life in Moscow.
Five strikers who surprised us in World Cup 2022.
With three goals, Diop, who won 62 caps, is Senegal's top scorer in World Cup finals.
English hopes of a run deep into the World Cup took a bit of a bruising on Friday when a lively and high-pressing United States team reduced the youthful stars of their tournament opener to anonymity.
Jan-Fiete Arp (8th minute), Nicolas Kuehn (62nd) and Sahverdi Cetin (90+2) netted for the winners, while Ibrahima Soumah got the lone goal for Guinea in the 26th minute in the final Group C match at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium.
Rashford, who played in the Euro 2020 final, was out of the England picture for 15 months as injuries and a loss of form and confidence saw his career plateau.
Japan beat 10-man Colombia 2-1 in Group H on Tuesday to become the first Asian side to beat a South American one at the World Cup.
At least two of the eight first-round groups of four produced tough obstacles for their participants to progress to the knockout rounds.
Olivier Giroud scored against Poland in their World Cup last-16 clash on Sunday to become France's all-time top scorer with 52 goals.
Portugal could qualify early for the next phase of the World Cup with a game remaining if they beat Uruguay on Monday, a task probably much easier said than done.
Japan basked in the glow of its World Cup soccer team's historic win over Colombia, a victory that has lifted the nation's mood after an earthquake struck its second-biggest metropolis Osaka.
Chile conceded an own goal through substitute Diego Valencia in the 81st minute.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup qualifiers played across Europe on Sunday
Morocco winger Nordin Amrabat has been discharged from hospital but he will not play in the side's next World Cup Group B clash against Portugal on Wednesday after suffering concussion in the 1-0 loss to Iran, officials said.
France have asked FIFA to investigate their suspicions that a drone was used to spy on the team's preparations for the World Cup opener against Honduras, coach Didier Deschamps said.
India coach Luis Norton de Matos on Sunday said they are ready for a physically and technically superior Colombia and will 'fight till the last minute' in their Group A match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in New Delhi, on Monday.
Lionel Messi drew level with Diego Maradona's number of World Cup goals and appearances on Saturday, but the current No. 10 knows that only winning the trophy at long last will earn him the same eternal love of his fellow Argentines.
A qualifier between Algeria and Angola has been postponed because of fears over an outbreak of the Marburg virus.
The 20-year old, who scored 13 goals for Manchester United in all competitions last season, will be hopeful of a starting spot in Southgate's team after impressing in the warm-up games, including a long-range goal against Costa Rica.
Portugal's Bruno Fernandes has long played second fiddle to team mate Cristiano Ronaldo but on Monday he stepped out of the superstar's shadow by scoring two goals to steer his team past Uruguay and into the World Cup Round of 16.
Images from the Club World Cup quarter-finals between Paris St Germain-Bayern Munich and Real Madrid-Dortmund.
"We had a crazy coach who gave us instructions and motivated us strongly during halftime," Saudi Arabia midfielder Abdel-Ilah al-Maliki told Al-Kass TV station after the win over Argentina.
Senegal struggled without the influence of Sadio Mane although Ismaila Sarr, moved across to the left, valiantly attempted to make up for the absence of their injured talisman.
Neuer is the second Bayern player to be ruled out for months after France international Lucas Hernandez tore a knee ligament in the defending champions' 4-1 win over Australia in their World Cup Group D match last month.
The 29-year-old's composure on the ball, ability to pick a pass and tough tackling paid dividends at both ends of the pitch in the must-win game against Nigeria.
Son Heung-min will be able to play with a mask in their World Cup Group H opener against Uruguay
Divock Origi's late strike earned Belgium a 1-0 Group H win over Russia at the Maracana Stadium on Sunday to seal a spot in the knockout round of the World Cup.
India were on Friday drawn with two-time champions Ghana, United States and Colombia in a tough Group A of the FIFA Under 17 World Cup.
Brazil roared in the World Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory over Mexico on Monday as Neymar shone with a goal and an assist that dumped the central Americans out at the last 16 stage for the seventh straight occasion.
This was the first-ever World Cup goal for the 28-year-old right back, who plays for Costa Rican club Herediano.
Gavi, 18, and Pedri, who turned 20 during the tournament, showed maturity beyond their years at the heart of the team's midfield, while strikers Ansu Fati and Nico Williams, both 20, looked full of potential when they came off the bench.
A dominant Brazil made a strong statement of their top title contender status with a 2-1 victory over Spain in a Group D marquee clash of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, in Kochi, on Saturday.
'I am very proud of these Indian players. They have shown that India can compete against the best in the world. They have a fantastic future'
'We know it is going to be very difficult to play against them, and that is why we need to trust in our assets and play the perfect game'
From the debate-arousing introduction of VAR to maximum number of Penalties to the superb Ronaldo, here are the A to Z of the ongoing 2018 World Cup
The uncertainty surrounding the Liverpool forward's participation after he suffered shoulder ligament damage in last month's Champions League final, had a huge impact on both preparations and team confidence coming into the tournament.
A summary of Saturday's action in the FIFA women's World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino signalled that he is in favour of introducing video assistant referees (VAR) at next year's World Cup following its success at the Confederations Cup, although he conceded the system needs to be improved.
Russia and Ukraine will be put into different groups at the 2018 World Cup finals if the Ukrainians qualify and relations between the two countries do not improve, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Tuesday.
