Roy of the Rovers final-day display
On 22 May 2022, in a dictionary definition of carpe diem, De Bruyne shows his greatness with the assist that harvests another title for City, just as Pep Guardiola’s men veer near to losing the plot. After 69 minutes Aston Villa are cruising at 2-0 up and the title is heading to Anfield where Liverpool, drawing with Wolves 1-1, need a goal to seal a famous last-day triumph. But, after City strikes on 76 and 78 minutes, De Bruyne takes charge. A piercing burst along the right prompts a pinpoint cross to Ilkay Gündogan, whose threaded finish on 81 minutes sends the Etihad Stadium ballistic.
The reminder of what Guardiola let go
On 4 April 2025 De Bruyne announces he will end a decade at City in the close season. Then, at a sun-buttered Etihad eight days later, the captain leads a 5-2 rout of Crystal Palace, scoring and making a classic Super Kev assist. Seconds into the second half, De Bruyne’s swivel seems to act as a pause button on a trio of converging Palace men, allowing him time and space to find Mateo Kovacic, who puts City 3-2 up. It will emerge he was “a bit surprised” not to be offered a deal to stay at the club, so he surely particularly enjoyed this day.
In cruise control on full debut
On 15 September 2015 a shiny-cheeked De Bruyne dons City livery for a first time in the starting XI, fielded by Manuel Pellegrini in attack, after David Silva hurts a calf in the warm-up. What ensues is a debut that proves an augury of 10 years of supremacy from a man who will become only the third to claim consecutive Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year awards (in 2020 and 2021). City lose 2-1 to West Ham but even at £52m, De Bruyne looks cut-price, as he controls proceedings while showing an element Silva lacks: a burst of pace.
Cometh the hour, cometh Kevin
De Bruyne stars in a 4-1 hammering of Arsenal on 26 April 2023, netting twice and fashioning a free-kick on to John Stones’s head for the defender’s goal. De Bruyne’s first, seven minutes in, features the Belgian purring forward, veering right, then beating Aaron Ramsdale to the goalkeeper’s near left. For the second, he takes Erling Haaland’s pass and unloads an instant snapshot that, again, fools Ramsdale. Mikel Arteta’s men had arrived with a five-point lead, with two fewer games to play than City, and De Bruyne’s display is crucial in claiming the Premier League title in the team’s treble triumph.
De Bruyne celebrates with Erling Haaland and Kyle Walker, right, after scoring City’s first goal against Arsenal in 2023 to turn the Premier League title race their way. Photograph: Dave Thompson/AP
The last dance
On 20 May 2025 De Bruyne walks out for a final bow as a City player before the home faithful. Afterwards, he says: “I wanted to play with creativity, I wanted to play with passion. I wanted to enjoy football and I hope everyone enjoyed it. Everybody has pushed me so hard inside and outside the club to be the best version of myself and these guys in front of me have made me better than I was before. It’s an honour to play with these guys. I’ve made so many friends for life.” Bournemouth have been cuffed aside, 3-1, but the great man misses an open goal, hitting the bar. “It’s terrible,” De Bruyne says. “There’s no excuses. My son is going to be very tough on me today.”
The pain and the semi-final glory
When De Bruyne tears knee and ankle ligaments against Everton on 27 January 2016 only four months have passed since his debut but he is already so precious to Pellegrini’s side that the manager later admits his loss causes the wheels to fly off City’s season. Before this, De Bruyne’s late introduction turns the Carabao Cup semi-final: he scores, then creates Sergio Agüero’s winner. Next, though, is the awful injury. In the six weeks after De Bruyne is stretchered off, City endure four losses, including three in a row, two of which are in the league. Pellegrini says: “In the moment he was injured of course [this was vital]. He was in a very good moment, making important things.”
What a strike
On 26 September 2017, on 48 minutes, against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, De Bruyne intercepts a loose Marlos pass, Silva moves forward with possession, then returns the ball to De Bruyne. Now, the magic: from about 20 yards and positioned centrally, De Bruyne unleashes a bending shot that smacks the top right-hand corner of Andriy Pyatov’s goal. In a tight group game De Bruyne’s intervention is vital. A late Raheem Sterling goal seals a 2-0 win.
Two-goal show against Leeds
After five weeks out injured, De Bruyne returns and scores twice in a 7-0 rout of Leeds on 14 December 2021. The first has a superb Rodri pass releasing De Bruyne down a left channel – a swish of De Bruyne’s left foot and Illan Meslier, the visiting No 1, is beaten. The second is even better: a 20-yard barnburner that again flies past Meslier and comes a little after Guardiola shows obvious disgust at De Bruyne for shying out of a challenge, which allows Stuart Dallas an opening.
De Bruyne smashes his second goal and City’s fifth against Leeds to complete a 2021 rout. Photograph: Peter Powell/EPA
Two assists and a tiff
In 422 City appearances decorated by 108 goals and 170 assists De Bruyne was never sent off but he did offer the odd feisty moment. This one occurs on 17 May 2023 in a 4-0 rout of Real Madrid that sends City into the Champions League final as they head for the treble. First, he releases Bernardo Silva for the opener. Now, comes the tiff with his manager. After failing to see Jack Grealish can be found he is pickpocketed by Éder Militão – drawing Guardiola’s ire. Instead of shrugging off the rollicking, De Bruyne unloads back to the Catalan. After resuming playing, he later creates Manuel Akanji’s third.
“Let me talk!”
De Bruyne has described himself as “two Kevins” – the off- and on-field one. On 17 October 2017, after he is booked by Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz in a 2-1 win over Napoli, the playmaker, incandescent, is held back by Fernandinho and David Silva as he tries to get to the referee to vent. Cue a De Bruyne three-word response aimed at his teammates: “Let me talk!” He later told Bleacher Report: “There was something with the referee where I got a yellow card and I wanted to ask him: ‘Why the hell did you give me a yellow card?’ When I’m playing, inside of me, it’s like two different Kevins. On the pitch, sometimes I’m a little bastard.”
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