Kevin De Bruyne may have made a meek exit from the World Cup at the group stage with Belgium, but the midfielder remains a key man for Manchester City.
Belgium’s failure to make the knockout stage was a plus for City, whose star player will return for the resumption of the domestic season unburdened by extra fixtures in Qatar. Pep Guardiola may have claimed a few weeks ago that De Bruyne was far from his imperious best, but the 31-year-old playmaker continues to be a big influence in games for City and deserves to be voted Mirror Fans’ Footballer of the Year.
He finished third in the Ballon d’Or, behind winner Karim Benzema and runner-up Sadio Mane, endorsing his status as one of the very best players on the planet. But after he scored a stunning strike in City’s 3-1 win over Brighton in October, Guardiola handed De Bruyne a brutal reality check.
“Kevin can be better,” said Guardiola said. “He’s not playing at his top level. It was a fantastic goal he scored, but he’s not playing at his best. He knows this. I don’t have to tell him. His dynamic is not perfect. I spoke with him. The goal was outstanding and thanks to him we didn’t suffer in the final minutes.”
Despite that blunt assessment of De Bruyne’s recent form, Guardiola knows the Belgian remains a formidable player, one who will be hard to replace when the time comes for him to leave City.
De Bruyne’s four-goal haul inside an hour in City’s 5-1 win at Wolves last season, with only two games left in the Premier League after that, ultimately swung the title in their favour and kept Guardiola’s men ahead of rivals Liverpool on the closing stretch.
And in their final, nail-biting game of the season, when City looked to have thrown the title away by going 2-0 down at home to Aston Villa, it was De Bruyne who once again helped haul them over the line, with an assist for the winner, skipping past two challenges before steering the ball across the face of goal for Ilkay Gundogan to apply the finishing touch.
That De Bruyne provided the assist for the goal that won City a fourth title in five years underlined his enduring value to City.
He has 16 goals for City in 2022, 13 assists already this season in all competitions and 14 in total last season, further proof of why he remains so important to City.
Guardiola was asked earlier this season if he was already planning for life without De Bruyne, and insisted the Belgian still has a few more seasons at the highest level, continuing to produce magic for City.
Kevin De Bruyne has been nominated for this year's Fans' Footballer of the Year Award. You can vote for him by using the form above or clicking here.
Does De Bruyne deserve to win or will your vote be going elsewhere? Have your say in the comments below.
