Kevin De Bruyne joining Napoli on a free transfer was one of the biggest stories of the summer. The Belgian, who left a glittering career at Manchester City, where he emerged as one of the best midfielders in the world, joins his compatriot Romelu Lukaku at the Serie A champion side.
The Belgian duo will connect with each other on the pitch for the first time on club level, having spent a large part of their international careers playing together as members of Belgium’s “Golden Generation” alongside the retired Eden Hazard. Their friendship and camaraderie go back a long way, and them being reunited on the pitch for the Neapolitans spells another shot at a spell of magic as both players enter the last stages of their respective careers.
While playing for the national team, Lukaku, who is also the highest goalscorer for his nation, would celebrate his goals with Kevin De Bruyne using the popular “handshake” celebration, an iconic celebration where De Bruyne and Lukaku would raise their hands together in a firm grip, signifying their strength in unity and symbolising their friendship.
De Bruyne, in an interview, had once narrated the story of what the celebration means to him and his teammate:
“Well, it’s not really a handshake, it is something that me and Romelu always do. I think… the picture is so beautiful. Just the view, the environment, black and white. Diversity. That what makes it so beautiful.”
De Bruyne has always been a champion for diversity and representation in the game, and Lukaku has been one of the most vocal supporters of this cause. Belgium, originally a country with a violent history of colonisation in Africa, especially in Zaire, or the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been a country marred with racial politics. Lukaku is probably one of the best strikers of his generation, and his relationship with De Bruyne is symbolised through their iconic celebration, a symbol of unity in diversity and a call to the present day liberal values of Belgium.
The roots of the handshake go back to the World Cup in 2014, when they first started their celebration. They have since made it customary to celebrate it uniformly throughout their prime, whether the 2016 Euros or the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Teammates confirmed that the celebration was something they had practiced during the national team training. Unlike the usual hugs or fist bumps, their handshake was deliberately elaborate, almost choreographed, involving the two raising hands in solidarity in a celebration that almost looks like a protest symbol.
Romelu Lukaku and De Bruyne are players that act as complete foils to each other, and their entirely different playstyles work in tandem as well as chalk and cheese. While De Bruyne is a creative playmaker par excellence, serving up line-breaking passes with immaculate vision, Big Rom is a physical beast of a centre forward known for his tactical hold-up play and ability to bully defenders. They couldn’t be any more different to each other than they already are.
Maybe that, in itself is the beauty of the celebration. Black or White, midfielder or striker, they are a duo worthy of having their names inked on the pages of modern-day football history.
