Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola paid a glowing tribute to Kevin De Bruyne on Friday, April 4th, calling him “one of the greatest midfielders ever to have played in this country” after the Belgian announced he would leave the club at the end of the season. De Bruyne confirmed his departure after a decorated 10-year spell at the Etihad Stadium.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Manchester United, Guardiola acknowledged the significance of De Bruyne’s departure, comparing it to the exits of other club legends like Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero.
“One of the greatest midfielders ever… with Manchester City, there is no doubt,” Guardiola stated. While respecting other City greats, he asserted De Bruyne was “one of the greatest for sure because of his consistency in important games, the not important games, being there every three days all the time. There is no doubt.”
De Bruyne, 33, has won 16 trophies with City, including six Premier League titles and the 2023 Champions League, scoring 106 goals and providing 174 assists in 413 appearances.
Guardiola revealed he had known about De Bruyne’s decision for a few days but described the official announcement as both “a sad day” and “a happy day” due to the “pleasure personally [to] live with him.” He praised the midfielder’s “humility and his influence in our success,” stating it would have been “impossible to imagine without him.” Guardiola also predicted De Bruyne would receive a statue at the stadium, saying, “I will bet a lot of money that it will happen.”
Despite De Bruyne’s injury struggles limiting him to 20 league appearances this season, City remain in contention for the FA Cup, facing Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals on April 26th, offering a final chance for De Bruyne to add to his silverware collection.
Guardiola addressed the uncertainty surrounding De Bruyne’s potential participation in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup this summer, given his contract expires on June 30th. “I don’t know. He has to decide… The club has to talk to him or he has to say what he wants to do,” Guardiola said, acknowledging the contract complexities for the latter stages of the tournament. “Hopefully he can continue playing football in another place.”
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