Considered one of the finest midfielders in Premier League history, De Bruyne concluded a remarkable ten-year tenure at City at the end of the previous season and transferred to Napoli on a free transfer last month.
"I have spent a long time in the Premier League, and ultimately I decided to leave England," De Bruyne told reporters on Saturday.
"I have accomplished what I set out to do, and I will always be a Man City player at heart. Given how it ended for me, I felt it was time to seek a new challenge.
"When I saw the entire project laid out before me, the opportunity to play in Italy while maintaining a high level was thrilling for me."
De Bruyne, who celebrated his 34th birthday last month, stated he has much to learn in Italy, but with Belgium teammate and multilingual Romelu Lukaku by his side, the learning process appears significantly less daunting as he adapts to Antonio Conte's team.
"Napoli are already champions, but they continue to enhance their squad... I hope to contribute to the team's development while also learning from them, experiencing a new style of play and a new competition," De Bruyne remarked.
"Romelu was pleased (about my move), I spoke with him during the national team (camp), and he wanted me to come. I've known Romelu since we were 13 years old, so we have a strong bond. When we played at Chelsea we lived together for two or three months.
"Knowing him makes things a bit easier, as he can translate for me, and it helps that he is familiar with the coach and the team."
Napoli will kick off their 2025/26 Serie A season on August 13th with a match against Sassuolo.
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