Kevin De Bruyne was forced to leave a Champions League final for the second time after the Manchester City star picked up an injury in the first half against Inter Milan.
The Belgian suffered a sickening facial injury after a clash with Antonio Rudiger in the 2021 final, leaving the pitch against Chelsea. And he suffered the same fate vs Inter coming off after just 35 minutes with an apparent hamstring injury.
De Bruyne received lengthy treatment from City physios after going down, but attempted to battle through the pain barrier and stay on. However, with Phil Foden stripped off on the sideline, he admitted defeat and signalled to the bench that he needed to come off.
It is understood that the 31-year-old carried the issue into the showpiece finale, but had hoped to come through the match unscathed. He was also a doubt for the FA Cup final but managed 76 minutes as they beat their local rivals United to seal their second major honour of the season.
In what was a relatively cagey opening 45 minutes, De Bruyne created the best chance when his through ball found Erling Haaland who thumped his shot into Andre Onana.
It was another cruel twist of fate for De Bruyne, who was the subject of much of the pre-match discussion. In the same stadium where Steven Gerrard's legacy was cemented, it had been suggested City's talisman could do the same.
"I absolutely love watching De Bruyne play," the former Liverpool skipper told BT Sport. "When you sit down to watch a game of football, you need to be watching players that are gonna get you on the edge of your seat, you need to be excited by these players.
"In midfield you need the right blend of different types of midfielders. For me, you need a risk-taker - someone who is gonna play with the eyebrows up, somebody to play the last pass, someone who is prepared to take risks for the team, and more often than not Kevin de Bruyne gets it right, which tells me he is a world-class talent.
"Kevin de Bruyne - whatever happens tonight - is a world-class midfielder, but this is an opportunity for the game to go to another level."
The midfielder has been arguably the most integral part of a City juggernaut which has trampled over all before them so far this season. But he was forced to watch from the sidelines again after admitting he couldn't remember much of City's other Champions League final.
Chelsea ran out 1-0 winners on that occasion, but De Bruyne wasn't present as he was rushed to hospital with a broken nose and fractured orbital bone. “I remember some chances in the first-half,” he recalled. “After the collision I don't remember a lot, how I got into the hospital.
“I remember going back in the morning to the hotel at 10am still with my kit on. In sport it happens. It's not the best thing to happen but you get on with it.”
And while in 2021, his absence led to a heartbreaking defeat, it was a different story this time around. Rodri's second-half goal was the difference to leave De Bruyne not only a European champion., but a treble winner.
