Oh, Kevin De Bruyne' - to the tune of The White Stripes' smash hit 'Seven Nation Army' - has been the soundtrack of the Etihad Stadium for the last decade. But Tuesday's game against Bournemouth will be the last time it is heard, at least when the player is in the ground and wearing a blue shirt.
Back in January 2024, De Bruyne had not
played a Premier League match since tearing his hamstring at Burnley on the
opening day of the season. As such, all eyes were on the Belgian when Guardiola
introduced him from the bench in the second half at St James' Park.
City were trailing 2-1 to Newcastle and risked falling five points behind then-league leaders Liverpool if they couldn't turn the game around. But within five minutes of coming on, De Bruyne had drawn his side level as he cheekily rolled the ball into the far bottom corner of the net from outside the area.
Then in injury time, he conjured the
type of match-winning pass only he is capable of, curling through a crowd of
bodies and into the feet of Oscar Bobb, who dribbled in the winner.
"I think it was more willpower than
anything else," explained De Bruyne. The gap at the summit was cut
dramatically down to two thanks to De Bruyne's two magical moments, and his
intervention proved crucial to City pipping Arsenal to the title on the final
day.
What Happen?
City still have a lot of work to do against
Andoni Iraola's side to ensure they go into their final game of the season at
Fulham with Champions League qualification in their own hands, and yet their
mission to earn the three points and finish in the top five is still taking a
back seat compared to the tributes planned for De Bruyne, who is leaving City
after 10 glorious and unforgettable years.
De Bruyne became City's most expensive
player when he signed from Wolfsburg in 2015 for £55 million ($73m), and at the
time he was the second-most expensive signing in English football behind Angel
de Maria. Needless to say, he has more than paid it off, especially compared to
Di Maria's forgettable season at Old Trafford.
The Superior Picture
"Kevin will get what he deserves. That
is the best compliment for his incredible trajectory," Pep Guardiola said
ahead of what is sure to be an emotional night in east Manchester. "What
he has done with other legends in the club, it would not have been possible
since Sheikh Mansour took over the club to reach another level."
De Bruyne has scored 108 goals for City and set up another 177. He has lifted 18 trophies and he will no doubt be hurting about the fact he could not make it 19 in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace. But most of all he will be remembered as the best player in the club's history.
Yaya Toure, David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero all played significant roles in putting City on the map as a global force, paving the way towards their dominance of the Premier League. But no one can compete with De Bruyne when it comes to consistency and breathless moments.
Did You Know?
The Belgian stood over a free-kick, and as the Cardiff players in the wall leapt to try and block a rising shot, he rolled it under the jumping opponents and into the net.
De Bruyne is not the only player to score this type of free-kick, but he was a trendsetter, with Lionel Messi among those following suit soon after.
And opponents quickly caught on, with almost all teams now deploying a 'draft excluder' to lie down and prevent any naughty takers trying to sneak a shot under their carefully constructed wall.
It means goals like this are an
increasingly rare breed, and De Bruyne is one of the few players to have pulled
it off.
Palace may have beaten City in De Bruyne's last-ever cup final with City, but he has done more than enough damage to the Eagles over the years.
Just take his virtuoso display at Selhurst Park towards
the end of the 2023-24 season, when he scored twice and provided an assist in a
stunning 4-1 comeback win which kept City on track for their record-breaking,
fourth-successive Premier League title.
De Bruyne scored his 100th goal for the club to put City on level terms before then setting up Erling Haaland to score before rounding off the victory with another goal for himself.
Guardiola was in
awe of the centurion afterwards, saying: "For many years he has been one
of the best players for our club. What he has done in England has been
unbelievable. Many goals, assists and consistency. We had four or five months
without him and now we need him at the end of the season."
City were in stunning form at the start of the 2017-18 season, as they beat both Liverpool and Crystal Palace 5-0 while pummelling Watford 6-0 ahead of a visit to defending champions and early title rivals Chelsea.
Antonio Conte's side were no pushovers, but City eventually
grabbed victory thanks to a beautiful goal from De Bruyne, who had endured a
difficult and disappointing time at Stamford Bridge after struggling to earn
game time under Jose Mourinho.
The Belgian made his former club regret
letting him go by breaking the deadlock midway through the second half, as he
played a one-two with Gabriel Jesus before firing the ball high into the net
with his left foot. Guardiola was ecstatic on the touchline and the result
tasted even sweeter than the previous thrashings, as it proved City could beat
the best teams even when pushed to the limits.
What Next for Manchester City
In De Bruyne's first game at the Etihad since announcing he was leaving the club - or to put it more accurately, being told by Guardiola that he had to leave - he naturally pulled out a performance for the ages, sending a message that he still had plenty to offer City on the off chance they wanted to change their minds.
Visitors Crystal Palace went 2-0 up in the first half and had a third ruled out for offside before De Bruyne got to work. Once he did, though, he was unstoppable.
He reduced the deficit with a
free-kick goal and then helped set up Omar Marmoush's equaliser with a
cushioned header. In the second half, he laid the ball off for Mateo Kovacic to
put City in front, and they never looked back.
Guardiola was delighted but wasn't
surprised: "The performance was what Kevin has done for many, many years
and many, many games."
It was no secret that De Bruyne had a special understanding with Haaland, but the pair took their telepathic relationship to new levels at Kenilworth Road in 2024 when the Belgian set up four goals for his Norwegian partner in crime during a crazy FA Cup win over Luton Town.
De Bruyne played in Haaland for all three of his first-half hat-trick, and while Luton came back from the dead to make it 3-2, so De Bruyne and Haaland did it again, combining for a fourth time to put the Hatters back at arm's length.
When Haaland scored his fifth of the night, it felt strange because for once De Bruyne had not set him up, with Bernardo Silva doing the honours instead. "Kevin De Bruyne is massive.
He is doing
what he is best at. It's a pleasure playing with him," said a grateful
Haaland. "We know what we both want from each other. It clicks well. He is
a smart player and I like to play with him."
Conclusion
De Bruyne delivered his most decisive and greatest display in his decade-long spell with City at the business end of the club's second nail-biting title race with Liverpool in 2022.
City visited
Wolves in their third-from-last game of the season with Jurgen Klopp's side
snapping at their heels, and De Bruyne delivered a tour-de-force to keep them
on right path.
