Kevin De Bruyne - Legacy
- Christian Paris
- Apr 24
- 4 min read
Following his significant announcement that the remaining Premier League games of the 24/25 season would be his last, Kevin De Bruyne has not only left Manchester City fans heartbroken, but the Premier League with a gaping hole to fill.
A sparkling – what will be – nine seasons in England’s topflight will come to end with the trip to Fulham on May 25, and will see the end of a storied chapter for one of the all-time Premier League greats.
Over 400 appearances for Man City, 19 trophies with more potentially to come this season with the FA Cup still on the cards for the Citizens, and a truckload of defining moments. De Bruyne has left a legacy in England that has fans, media and critics alike squabbling to readjust their all-time rankings to fit the Belgian in.
Six of those titles are Premier League winner's medals, only five stars have won it more times than him, alongside a monumental UEFA Champions League triumph in 2022/23 that epitomised this era of sky-blue dominance under Pep Guardiola.
The Belgian arrived in Manchester under Manuel Pellegrini in the summer of 2015 from Wolfsburg, where doubts, uncertainty and hesitations were quickly made following the £54.5m transfer figure was made public – this, despite the midfielder’s outrageous exploits in Germany the season before.
De Bruyne caught the eye of Sporting Director, Txiki Begiristain, whose attention was clearly focused on an acquisition that would shape an almost decade of success in East Manchester.
Still, I do not believe Begiristain, and ultimately Guardiola who joined a summer later, could have foreseen the consistency, quality and magic De Bruyne would go on to produce. He has left behind a legacy for the ages.
Much will be made, and rightly so, of De Bruyne shining creative qualities. His capacity to pick out a pass that few in the history of the game could even think to notice, never mind execute to perfection.
His piercing, beautifully angled pass right into the path of Leroy Sane’s run in a dazzling display against Stoke City in 17/18, or when he thread the needle to fool an entire Newcastle United backline to pick out the ghosting run of Bernardo Silva at St James’ Park in 18/19.
The 33-year-old has countless moments – and we could be here all day. But we cannot forget the pass he has frankly trademarked. You know which one. The intelligence to find the space from the right, before arching a delicious cross that had opposing defences scrambling.
But it will be even more fascinating to look at an intangible quality of his that I feel is not spoken about nearly enough – leadership. When we think back to this dominant Man City side, we often think of Rodri, Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker among others as the so-called ‘leaders’, but De Bruyne though admired for his world-class quality, has defined his excellence through his capacity to influence the biggest matches in key moments.
His exploits in the Champions League for the Citizens will be remembered for a long time by the Man City faithful. The first massive moment that came for the Belgian under Guardiola saw FC Barcelona visit the Etihad Stadium in the 2016/17 group stage.
The ruthless trio of Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, and Neymar Jr were in town, and marked their threat early, when the latter two combined to open the scoring, though after Ilkay Gundogan equalised before half-time, up stepped Guardiola’s midfield maestro.
Before we knew it, De Bruyne wrapped in a sublime free kick inside the final quarter of an hour to put the hosts ahead and ultimately secure a vital win – the first example of De Bruyne’s influence.
We could go on. A masterclass at the Santiago Bernabeu in 19/20 saw the midfielder turn the knockout tie on its head with a terrific assist for Gabriel Jesus, before dispatching a clinical spot kick to secure a historic win for Man City.
His mammoth impact in the treble-winning season cannot go unnoticed. Again, the Belgian came to haunt Real Madrid in Europe, in trademark style, blasting a monstrous drive past Thibaut Courtois to equalise, that then set up a thumping home win in the second leg that saw Man City through to the final.
His four-goal rout was pure magic at Wolves to fend off a chasing Liverpool side in 21/22. Watch it back. There are few individual Premier League displays to match. The end of that season saw De Bruyne help to secure a dramatic comeback against Aston Villa on the final day.
Where it once seemed, the title was heading to Anfield, De Bruyne led a sensational comeback, before his highlight came with a super cross to find Gundogan at the back post to seal consecutive titles.
The point is, De Bruyne will be missed. It's a fact. The Premier League are losing a huge asset. A player, who at his heights, was in the conversation for the best player in the world. That’s who we’re talking about.
He has left his mark in England. His 119 Premier League assists only trail Ryan Giggs (162), whilst he is one of only four players to have won the Player of the Season award twice, and has the joint record for assists in a season (20), alongside Thierry Henry.
If he sits with some of the names mentioned, it speaks volumes about the calibre of player we are losing, but more strikingly, he has left behind an all-time legacy, that can match-up with any in Premier League history.
Comentários