It was an emotional moment at Etihad stadium as the club’s Funs and staff were all in tears as they bid their Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne goodbye in his last game in city’s shirt this season.
De Bruyne braced his departure with a stunning performance last night, May 20, in a game that saw Manchester City defeat Bournemouth 3-1 thriller.
The 33-year-old had announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season, a gesture that the club said will honour De Bruyne as one of their legends by building him a statue.
Speaking after the match, De Bruyne praised the team and it’s funs for their support claiming it was a honour to play in such an environment.
“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,” the Midfielder said.
On his side, Manchester city Head Coach Pep Guardiola praised Kevin as a player with good social etiquette and that his 10 years in the club was just but a well lived era.
“Everybody saw how much the people from Manchester City are connected with him and his family and how much love [they have].Titles are nice and everything that he has achieved, but when you leave after 10 years with this much respect and gratitude, there is nothing else better than that,” the coach said.
He stated that the decision to let such a talent go is had, reminiscing when the star signed for the club.
“I am part of that, the club will take the decision, but it is a sad day and he will be missed, there is no doubt about that. When Kevin arrived here, I am pretty sure he was not a Man City fan, I don’t know who he supports, but I am pretty sure he is a fan now and will be forever,” Pep added.
De Bruyne has had a splendid era in his blue shirt since he joined the club in September 2015. He has recorded 283 appearances in top-flight games, providing 119 assists clinching the second position in the Premier League’s all-time chart.
He scored 72 goals totalling to 190 goal involvements placing him among the top four stars to hit the list behind Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
Kevin bow out with full set of trophies which include, winning UEFA Champions League, six Premier League titles, five League Cups and two FA Cups with the club. He was also named Player of the season in 2019/20 season and claimed it for the second time in 2021/22 season.
On the other hand, City’s void in the Midfield department received a boost as Balon Dio’r 2023/24 winner Rodri played his first ever game after spending almost 8 months out.
Rodri was ruled out with a knee injury in their clash against Arsenal in September last year, a game that ended in a 2-2 draw.
