Soccer-De Bruyne among 18 Belgians to receive coaching badges

(Reuters) - Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was among 18 current and former Belgian internationals to receive their coaching badges on Tuesday after two years of training with the country's football federation (RBFA).

Napoli forward Dries Mertens, Benfica defender Jan Vertonghen, Borussia Dortmund's Axel Witsel and Leicester City duo Youri Tielemans and Dennis Praet were also awarded their licences.

"The idea is that this transition already allows the course participants to think about what they want to do after their career," Kris Van Der Haegen, the RBFA's head of coaching education, said in a statement.

"Many of the boys have already made a lot of progress and we are already seeing the results," he added, referring to former defender Thomas Vermaelen who retired last year and is currently an assistant coach for the national team.

"They take their first steps as a coach in Belgium, so they don't have to go abroad right away."

(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Nick Macfie)