VIDEO: Kevin De Bruyne snaps back at 'stupid' journalist question & storms out of press conference after Belgium suffer painful Euro 2024 exit at the hands of France

The round of 16 match, held at the Dusseldorf Arena on Monday, ended in heartbreak for Belgium as an own goal by Jan Vertonghen in the 85th minute gifted France passage to the quarter-finals. The loss marked yet another disappointing chapter for Belgium’s famed "golden generation", who have struggled in major international tournaments.

Emotions ran high as De Bruyne was questioned about Belgium's inability to fulfil their potential. An Italian journalist, Tancredi Palmeri, posed a particularly probing question that seemed to strike a nerve. Palmeri’s query challenged De Bruyne to explain why Belgium’s golden generation had failed to reach a title decider in a major tournament.

Visibly frustrated, De Bruyne struggled to offer a cohesive answer and responded: "Do you think that France, England, Spain and Germany do not have a golden generation?"

After this, he walked away from the reporters and muttered the word "stupid" in a hush, directed at Palmeri's question.

Palmeri did not take the slight lightly. Later that evening, he took to social media to voice his displeasure with De Bruyne’s reaction. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Palmeri wrote: "Ahah De Bruyne just called me stupid. Hey Kevin, little memo for you: the golden generation you mentioned of France, England, Germany, and Spain they ALL REACHED A FINAL!"

Palmeri’s post was a direct rebuttal to De Bruyne’s dismissal, and he further criticised the midfielder by saying: "Usual footballer that wants only questions telling him how good they are. Spoiled brat."

The talent within the Belgium squad has always suggested potential for greatness, but the consistent failure to translate that potential into tangible success has been a source of frustration for players and fans alike. De Bruyne will now head off for a mini break before rejoining Manchester City in pre-season in early July.