Last weekend, the world-famous KDB Cup took place in Drongen. Once again, the tournament marked itself as one of the most prestigious youth tournaments in the world.
On Saturday evening in Drongen, a sense of anticipation filled the air at the KDB Cup, one of the most prestigious youth tournaments in the world. The tournament's founder, Kevin De Bruyne himself, captivated the players' attention as he lifted the coveted Champions League trophy in Istanbul. Projected onto a large screen, this awe-inspiring moment was etched in the memories of the young talents who aspired to follow in De Bruyne's footsteps.
Could the next Kevin De Bruyne be among the aspiring athletes competing in this year's KDB Cup?
The KDB Cup was established in 2016 by Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and is held in his hometown of Drongen, where the superstar began his ascent to the summit of world football. Every year, the world's best U15 teams participate in the two-day-long tournament, attracting thousands of spectators, scouts, and coaches from clubs worldwide.
This year's tournament was the sixth of its kind, and it has been a regular fixture in the schedule of the top youth teams since 2016, only disrupted by the lockdown. Veo cameras were set up on the sidelines for the second year in a row, ready to live stream all matches, allowing people worldwide to follow the action through the Veo Live platform.
This year, the KDB Cup also went global as it welcomed teams from all corners of the globe, including the powerhouses Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa and Palmeiras from Brazil.
"I think it will be a great experience for them not only to play football against other teams but to see another part of the world and have a life experience," Kevin De Bruyne previously told Veo.
Alongside these international entrants, renowned European clubs such as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Manchester City, Ajax, PSG, Odense Boldklub, KAA Gent, and Club Brugge were all set to showcase their talents.
Like in 2022, FC Barcelona emerged as the final winner with a 3-1 scoreline. Last year, they faced their arch-rivals from Real Madrid, and this year they were up against the French giants, PSG. In front of a packed crowd, the match started off with a bang as FC Barcelona quickly found the back of the net, prompting the traveling fans to cheer. PSG equalised, but with two goals in the second half, Blaugrana lifted the trophy for the second year. The final was a fantastic showcase of the impressive talent that has been on display in this year's KDB Cup.
The goal that sent FC Barcelona to the final even went viral on social media, where over 32 million people watched the goal on Veo's TikTok within a few days.
A new horizon unfolds with Mamelodi Sundowns.
Even before the tournament began, the players from Pretoria already made headlines by singing songs and creating a fantastic atmosphere in the streets of Gent in their bright yellow tracksuits and hats. The songs and their way of taking the stage were also something Shawn Bishop, Head of Academy at Mamelodi Sundowns, talked about when Veo met him the day before the tournament would kick off:
"The boys have had fun the last couple of nights. You’ll see something special from the team at this tournament - how we come onto the pitch and in the changing room. There will be a lot of singing and dancing," Bishop says, smiling.
For many of the players in Mamelodi Sundowns, it’s their first time in Europe, and Bishop and the rest of the club's staff hope that the players can take a lot of experiences back home to South Africa:
"What we expect after this experience is that mentally they grow and have a mindset saying ‘actually, we can compete at this level’, and it will give a lot of self-belief in themselves."
One of their players is captain Kabelo Sibande, who goes by the name ‘Festival’. Besides captaining Sundowns' U15 team, Festival is also a part of the U17 national team, where he proudly represents his home country, South Africa. He hopes that a tournament like this can help him with his career's big goal, which is to secure a contract with a European club:
"It's nice being at this year's tournament because everyone welcomes us. We get taken care of really well. Everything here is new to us, so we are just happy being here," Festival says before sharing his dreams for the future: "My dream is to play here in Europe and become better. I have a perfect chance to show off great here at this tournament," Festival concludes.
Festival is not the only one with dreams of Europe in the South African squad. As Bishop expresses, every single player goes to bed every night with the same wish:
"They all dream every night of playing in tournaments like these. We'll play Barcelona tomorrow morning, and they might, in three years, see some of those players on TV playing for the first team and be like, 'I've played against them, I should be there as well,'" Bishop explains.
The South African talents were thrown to the lions in this year's group stage as they faced the Barcelona and Manchester City powerhouses. Their first match ended in a crushing 4-0 defeat against Barcelona before taking on the Cityzens. In that game, Mamelodi Sundowns delivered a fantastic performance, which resulted in an impressive 2-0 victory. Both goals were celebrated with pitch invasions from the numerous fans who, together with the players, could rejoice in the splendid victory.
The team finished in 8th place in this year's tournament after losing to Danish side Odense BK in the match for 7th place.
From Brazil to Belgium. The ambitious team from Palmeiras.
2023 also marked the year when Palmeiras, based in São Paulo, participated in the KDB Cup for the first time. Striker Lucas Oliviera, who finished as the top scorer of the tournament with five goals, expresses his pride in participating in the tournament while hoping that the team could take the trophy back to South America:
"It's a lifetime opportunity to be here. The KDB Cup is a top-level competition, and we just have to do our best and do good for our club and fans back home,” Oliviera says. “We're going to do everything we can to take the trophy back home."
Ricardo Pabon, Palmeiras' assistant coach, highlights the club's playing style and desire to challenge the best teams. At the club, they maintain the same playing style from the U8 level up to the first team.
One notable initiative was constructing a non-grass training pitch that encouraged players to stay on their feet and play defense with greater intelligence instead of rushing into tackles. Among other things, this has resulted in an incredibly talented academy that has clinched numerous trophies and medals. And it is some of these players that Palmeiras has brought to Belgium:
"Here are players who can handle higher pressure. Now they are in high-level competition, and when you see the Manchester City shirt or the Barcelona shirt, you want to play with a sense of pride,” Pabon expresses before he continues, “You want to play for patriotism, where you feel like you represent your country and not only the team. We represent Brazil and will show them what we're about.”
The Brazilians looked incredibly strong in this year's tournament, and after a convincing group-stage victory, they faced PSG on Sunday morning for a spot in the final. The Brazilian talents lost that match 2-0, but they quickly shook off the disappointment as they won against Belgian side Club Brugge in the bronze match, securing third place.
“Livestreaming the tournament has taken us to another level.”
In the Veo tent, where players, staff, and spectators could come by to see the Veo cameras up close and try the Veo platform, tournament director Jeroen Verhille expresses pride in the participation of clubs worldwide in this year's tournament. He hopes all participants can learn from the different playing styles and cultures that come together this early June weekend in Drongen.
"I hope to see a bit of world culture playing together, and see some different styles of play, but also different styles of living where all the young players can learn from each other," as the tournament leader expresses it.
Verhille, who has been responsible for organizing the tournament since its beginning in 2016, is also incredibly pleased that Veo has sponsored the tournament for the second year in a row, which means that all matches can be closely followed, whether one is watching from Pretoria, Sao Paolo, or from the sidelines in Drongen.
The matches were livestreamed in no less than 102 countries, and the Veo Live app was one of the most downloaded apps over the weekend in several countries.
This gave Veo the opportunity to bring the entire world into the tournament, which Verhille is incredibly proud of:
"That it will be viewed in all these countries abroad with Veo is wonderful,” he says. “Now everyone around the world can watch every game from the KDB Cup and experience what type of cup this is," Verhille concludes.
One of the Belgian participants in this year's tournament is the prominent club KAA Gent, only based a 15-minute drive from the campus in Drongen. Coaching their U15 team is Thomas Matton, who played two seasons for the club as an active player and even had the opportunity to play with the club in the Champions League. The 37-year-old coach is proud that the club is participating in the KDB Cup, which is the most impressive youth tournament he has been involved in:
"Everything around the games is impressive,” Matton states. “The food is great, the balls are ready for the players. There are not too many teams, but all teams have quality. The atmosphere is nice, there are friendly people, so it’s a great experience for the coaching staff and players."
According to Matton, a tournament like this is something that players can learn a tremendous amount from. When competing against the best teams in the world, players can gain a lot of confidence and feel that they can actually keep up and compete. It's something that most young European players might not believe:
"I think that the players will learn that they're as good as the others. I myself played Champions League even though I wasn't the best player. If you have the right mentality, you can always get a good result, so that's the most important thing they have to take with them. I know they have a good mentality and great qualities," Matton concludes.
There is no doubt that having clubs from outside of Europe made the tournament more international, and friendships were formed across the clubs. The new clubs brought an inspiring and unique culture to the tournament, unlike anything seen before. Hopefully, it will not be the last time we see these clubs in the two-day tournament, which is considered the best youth tournament in the world.
As Ricardo Pabon expresses it, "Already now I can say, we'd love to come back next year."
