"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.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman is not one to get carried away so it was unsurprising that he reacted to their best ever start to a Premier League season by focusing on where they needed to improve. Everton made light work of promoted Middlesbrough on Saturday, fighting back from going behind to win 3-1, with midfielder Gareth Barry marking his 600th Premier League appearance with a goal. Further efforts from Seamus Coleman and Romelu Lukaku wrapped up a victory that lifted unbeaten Everton back into second in the table after five games.
Croatia's head coach Zlatko Dalic said as he prepares his side for Thursday's decisive Group F showdown.
Everton have agreed a deal with Dutchman Ronald Koeman to become the Premier League club's manager, the BBC reported on Tuesday.
Brighton midfielder James Milner, who made his Premier League debut in 2002 at age 16, passed Ryan Giggs into second in all-time league appearances on Monday with 633 matches. He needs 20 more to equal Gareth Barry's record.
A superb second-half strike from Adnan Januzaj gave Belgium a 1-0 win over England on Thursday to see them top World Cup Group G with a perfect record and consign England to second place, with both sides already assured of going through to the last 16.
How they strategised, motivated and led their teams to victory.
Here is an overview of the teams that have been eliminated
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez declared himself delighted with a 3-0 win over World Cup debutants Panama but there were plenty of issues that will encourage England after their own winning start in Group G.
The midfield duo, who both have dual Moroccan-Belgian nationality, kept Belgium alive with their goals off the bench in the extraordinary round of 16 comeback against Japan and were handed starts in the 2-1 win over Brazil.
Thorgan Hazard's first-half goal enabled Belgium score a 1-0 victory over defending champions Portugal in Euro 2020 last 16 match at Estadio La Cartuja in Seville, Spain, on Sunday. The victory set up a quarter-final against Italy.
Brazil lived up to expectations by smashing Bolivia 5-1 at home in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers opener on Friday.
Didier Deschamps is confident he has prepared his players for any tactical surprises his opposite number Roberto Martinez might spring
Injured Lukaku likely to sit out
The tournament debutants held their own against a highly rated Belgian side in the first half in Sochi before a stunning volley from Dries Mertens and a Romelu Lukaku brace after the break helped the Europeans climb to the top of Group G.
Arouna Kone grabbed a hat-trick as Everton piled on the Premier League relegation worries for Sam Allardyce's Sunderland with a 6-2 demolition job at Goodison Park on Sunday.
It took a great escape in injury time to get there after being two goals down to Japan, but Belgium can now view their quarter-final against Brazil free of the weight of expectation.
The Chelsea playmaker gave Lukaku a piece of his mind in Sochi on Monday after Belgium had huffed and puffed but failed to blow Panama's modest defensive fortress down before the interval.
Benzema, who has scored 30 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid this season, has not played for France since 2015 after a blackmailing scandal over which he faces a trial in October.
Alvaro Negredo and Sergio Aguero combined to help ManchesterCity bounce back from their Bayern Munich mauling by beating Everton 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.
Aguero is expected to be the first of a number of arrivals at the Camp Nou this summer
Belgium go into Monday's World Cup last 16 match against Japan full of confidence but wary that relying on individual talent against similarly well-organised but less fancied teams has cost them dear in the past.
A summary of Sunday's action in the English Premier League.
'But he is someone I really appreciate, I'm happy for him.'
The youngest at Euro 2020 will be Poland's Kacper Kozowski - one of two 17-year-olds in the tournament, which has never happened before.
I don't think we can do a Leicester. I am realistic, says Everton manager
Belgium passed a test of character with a display of true grit that bodes well for a World Cup quarter-final against Brazil, coach Roberto Martinez said after they came from 2-0 behind to beat Japan 3-2 in injury time.
Top-ranked Belgium slammed eight goals against Belarus and the Netherlands crashed seven past Gibraltar
Arsenal sent Liverpool crashing out of the FA Cup, avenging last weekend's rout at Anfield, when they beat Brendan Rodgers's high-flyers 2-1 in a full-bloodied fifth round tie at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Belgium used a combination of daring, intelligence, resilience and not a little luck to oust World Cup favourites Brazil 2-1 in a memorable quarter-final tie on Friday that would have made a worthy final.
Belgium and England have already met during the World Cup in a match both teams seemed reluctant to win and on Saturday they will face each other again in a game they both seem reluctant to play. The two sides must pick themselves up and dust themselves down after suffering the crushing disappointment of semi-final defeats to play for the modest prize of third place in a fixture often criticised as pointless.
England and Belgium face a World Cup conundrum ahead of Thursday's crunch in Kaliningrad
England and Belgium, already qualified from World Cup Group G, meet on Thursday in what Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini says could be a "strange match". Depending on the outcome of other games, it may not be an advantage to finish top of the group, but both sides insist they won't take such calculations into account.
Dries Mertens and Michy Batshuayi were also on target for Belgium while Eden Hazard impressed with creativity and speed for the hosts, who start their World Cup campaign on Monday against Panama in Sochi.
Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard is in the best form of his life but Belgium need all their top players to be better than ever if they are to have any chance of winning the World Cup, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said.
Chelsea striker Diego Costa needs to learn to show respect to opponents after the Spaniard goaded Everton players during their pulsating 6-3 English Premier League win on Saturday, Toffees coach Roberto Martinez said.
Swansea City equalled their highest ever points tally in a Premier League season following a 1-1 draw with Everton in the early game at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.
Finland, who came third with three points, must wait until the end of the group stage to see if their adventure in a first ever major tournament will continue and they need a series of results to go their way if they are to make the last 16.
Despite being without key performer Kevin De Bruyne, world number one ranked Belgium were rarely in trouble against a Russia side that struggled to impose themselves.
Everton now go to up to fifth in the table with 12 points from seven games
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