The 33-year-old Kevin De Bruyne stood in the starting lineup for Manchester City for the last time this season, cheap football kits and it was at the same time his farewell match. In this final moment the lights of the Etihad Stadium seemed to freeze the Belgian midfield maestro. 413 appearances, 106 goals, 174 assists, 19 league titles – these numbers are not only the brilliance of his career, but also testimony to how much he helped Manchester City to success over the past ten years.
From the abandoned general to the legend
When De Bruyne moved to Manchester City in 2015 for 55 million pounds, he was regarded as 'Chelsea's abandoned general'. Yet with his actions he quickly redefined the value of midfield play.
In ten years he averaged 1.2 outstanding chances per 90 minutes. In the 2021/22 season he topped the assist charts in the Premier League with 19 assists and led the team to win the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup and the League Cup.
His outside of the boot pass is known as the 'art of ballistics', and his momentum-shifting breakthrough is like a 'sharp blade tearing through the defensive line', which elevated Guardiola's passing and control system to a three-dimensional attack.
The cornerstone of the Blue Moon Dynasty
De Bruyne's ten years are the decade in which Manchester City developed from a Premier League newcomer into a European giant. He and the team won six Premier League titles, one Champions League, two FA Cups and five League Cups, thereby founding the most glorious 'Blue Moon Dynasty' in Premier League history. Without him these achievements would be unimaginable.
Twice PFA Players’ Player of the Year, five-time FIFO world records, a perennial Ballon d’Or contender, etc. He developed from the 'young man abandoned by Mourinho' to the best midfielder in world football.
Although he suffered a hamstring injury in 2023 and missed 154 days, he returned with unwavering professional spirit and scored three goals and seven assists in his farewell season. Thus he made room for Manchester City's wage optimisation and the youth rebuild.
Farewell and Legacy
A statue of De Bruyne will be erected outside the Etihad Stadium to remember his brilliant career with Manchester City. At the penultimate home farewell match of the 2024/25 season, almost 60,000 fans wore his Manchester City kit for children with the number 17 and honoured the legend with applause and banners. He also received a commemorative shirt signed by his teammates and staff.
In his farewell letter he wrote: 'Manchester will always be the passport of our children.' This emotional statement stands in subtle contrast to his calm style on the pitch, but embodies the essence of the legend. Balancing reason and emotion, he achieves not only teamwork, but stays true to himself.
Starlight is immortal, legend is eternal
De Bruyne's ten years at Manchester City are an epic full of talent, perseverance and development. With his passes he created green art, with trophies he shaped the standards of the giants and with his professionalism he set a mark. As Guardiola said: 'His passing lanes will always light up the stadium.' As the lights of the Etihad gradually dimmed, De Bruyne's legend was like the eternally shining blue sky of Manchester.
In football history he has long been regarded as the 'world's best midfielder' who brought the Blue Moon to its pinnacle. Farewell is not the end, but a continuation of the legend. True greatness never fades with time.
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