Kevin De Bruyne Calls Arsenal the Best Team in the World After Napoli Win
Arsenal walked into Naples and played like a side that has grown used to carrying a target on its back. They left with a 1-0 win, three points, and the kind of praise that rarely comes from a rival of Kevin De Bruyne’s stature.
Martin Odegaard’s precise first-half strike settled the Champions League opener on Wednesday night, capping another composed European performance from Mikel Arteta’s team. It was enough to silence the stadium, but not De Bruyne, who could only nod to the level Arsenal have now reached.
“The best team in the world?” the CBS Sports interviewer suggested to him at full-time. De Bruyne didn’t flinch. He agreed.
“They are the champions of England and lost the last Champions League final on penalties, so we know how strong they are,” the Manchester City legend said, as reported by Metro. Coming from a player who has spent the last decade tormenting midfields across Europe, the compliment carried weight.
Arsenal look ready for another two-front assault
This is not the Arsenal of a few years ago, tentatively feeling their way back into Europe’s elite. They arrive now as Premier League champions for the first time since 2004, a group hardened by a title race won and a Champions League final lost by the thinnest of margins to Paris Saint-Germain.
In Naples, that maturity showed. Arsenal controlled long spells, managed the tempo, and trusted their structure when the game grew scrappy. Odegaard’s goal, struck with the calm of a captain who has seen this all before, extended their perfect start to the season to five wins from five in all competitions.
They look ready to go deep again, at home and abroad. There was no wild celebration at the final whistle, no sense of surprise. Just a job done, against a good team, in a difficult place.
De Bruyne sees progress in defeat
For De Bruyne, the night ended with frustration but not resignation. Napoli had their moments, and he was keen to stress it.
“I think we actually put in a good performance,” he said. “When we tried to play, we had some moments where we created chances, and of course we had to sit back at times, and in the second half we gave them a lot of chances, we were very deep.”
That was the pattern of the game. Napoli occasionally broke Arsenal’s lines, especially when they committed to playing through midfield, but they spent long periods pinned back, forced to defend their box as the visitors tightened the screw.
Just when it seemed the Italians might fold, they rallied again.
“But then we had some good moments again,” De Bruyne added. “And for me that is an improvement on what I saw in the first few matches. We have started to play better, and that is a good thing.”
It was an honest assessment: a recognition that Napoli are still climbing towards their level, while Arsenal are already operating near the summit.
Arsenal’s standard, everyone else’s problem
That is the real story of the night. Arsenal didn’t need to dazzle for 90 minutes. They needed to be ruthless when it mattered, disciplined when it didn’t, and confident enough to ride out Napoli’s surges. They did all three.
When players like De Bruyne start calling you the best team in the world, the label becomes more than a throwaway line. It becomes a standard. Arsenal are now judged not just on winning, but on how they win, how often, and how they respond when the margins tighten.
In Naples, they answered that question with a narrow scoreline and a loud statement. If this is how they open their Champions League campaign, what will they look like when the season hits its sharpest edge?
