){kind=small}
Bundesl){kind=small}
FCB
){kind=small}
RBL
){kind=small}
Ligue 1){kind=small}
PSG
){kind=small}
SCO
){kind=small}
Premier){kind=small}
WHU
){kind=logo}
CHE
){kind=small}
LaLiga){kind=logo}
BET
){kind=logo}
ALA
){kind=small}
MCI
){kind=logo}
TOT
){kind=logo}
B04
){kind=logo}
TSG
){kind=logo}
SGE
){kind=logo}
SVW
){kind=logo}
SCF
){kind=logo}
FCA
){kind=logo}
FCU
){kind=logo}
VFB
){kind=logo}
HDH
){kind=logo}
WOB
){kind=small}
BOU
){kind=logo}
WOL
){kind=small}
BRE
){kind=small}
AVL
){kind=small}
BUR
){kind=logo}
SUN
){kind=small}
OM
){kind=logo}
PAR
){kind=logo}
MLL
){kind=logo}
CEL
){kind=logo}
FCP
){kind=small}
BVB
){kind=small}
Serie A){kind=logo}
GEN
){kind=logo}
LEC
){kind=logo}
SAS
){kind=small}
NAP
){kind=small}
ARS
){kind=logo}
LEE
){kind=small}
NICE
){kind=small}
AJA
)
Analysing the four ways Kevin De Bruyne evolved over his 10-year stay at Manchester City that have made him a Premier League great.
After a decade of brilliance in Manchester blue, Kevin De Bruyne is set to bid farewell to the Etihad.
While his departure has not yet been formally announced as final, all indications — including an emotional goodbye following City's midweek win over Bournemouth — suggest that Sunday’s season finale away at Fulham could mark his final appearance in City colours.
For a player whose career has defined an era, the moment is hard to digest for many fans, some of whom are still clinging to hope that the club might rethink and offer him a new contract before his current deal expires next month.
PAY ATTENTION: Stay updated with the Latest Sports News in Kenya from Pulse Sports
But time waits for no one. De Bruyne, who turns 34 in June, will leave behind a legacy few can rival — a six-time Premier League champion and one of the most transformative playmakers the English top flight has ever seen.
His journey at City has been one of constant evolution: from a roaming winger to a revolutionary "free eight", from an injury-stricken leader to a mastermind behind Erling Haaland’s record-breaking feats.
The Early Days (2015–17): A Positionless Genius in the Making
)
When De Bruyne joined from Wolfsburg in 2015, he arrived with a reputation as a versatile creator. Under Manuel Pellegrini, he was a nomad — used on the left, right, in the No.10 role, and even up front. It was this adaptability that made him instantly valuable.
“He is, in all senses, the perfect player to arrive in our team,” Pellegrini said as quoted on The Athletic after De Bruyne netted a last-minute Champions League winner against Sevilla, having started on the left and scored from the right.
His attacking impact was obvious from the start, but the shift under Pep Guardiola, who arrived the following summer, would mark a turning point.
Pep tasked him and David Silva with adapting to deeper, more dynamic midfield roles — not traditional No.10s, but “free eights”.
It was a steep learning curve that led to a temporary dip in his output, but Guardiola was unwavering in his belief. “I didn’t expect them to play forward so quickly and so effectively,” Pep once admitted, marvelling at the forward thrust De Bruyne brought even from deep.
)
By the end of 2016-17, De Bruyne had racked up 18 league assists, including a blind cross-field pass to Raheem Sterling that defied logic and visibility — the type of pass that only he could produce.
The Golden Years (2018–20): A Midfield General at His Peak
If 2017-18 was the blueprint for City’s dominance, De Bruyne was the ink that made it legible. In Guardiola’s 100-point "Centurions" season, the Belgian played in just about every midfield role imaginable, but made the right-sided box-to-box position his domain.
The highlight reel from this period is pure footballing art — none more iconic than the exquisitely weighted through-ball to Leroy Sané against Stoke that sliced through four defenders and slowed perfectly into the German’s path.
Or the back-post crosses that became his trademark — whipped in from the right edge of the area, curling just beyond the last defender and begging to be buried.
Though injury limited his involvement in the 2018-19 campaign, De Bruyne still returned in time to orchestrate City's crucial title run-in.
The Champions League night against Tottenham, where he provided three assists in a frenetic 4-3 win, was quintessential De Bruyne — controlled chaos wrapped in surgical precision.
)
Individually, 2019-20 was arguably his finest. Despite City finishing second, De Bruyne equaled Thierry Henry’s long-standing record of 20 league assists and was controversially denied a 21st — a fact he hasn’t forgotten.
“It still annoys me,” he later admitted. But even that didn’t overshadow the thunderbolt he scored against Newcastle, a goal that left the St. James’ Park crowd audibly gasping as it clattered in off the bar.
Stepping Up to Striker Role(2020–22): The Intelligent Warrior
As City evolved tactically post-2019, so did De Bruyne. The team leaned into a false nine system, and De Bruyne — ever the shape-shifter — took turns leading the line. But as wingers cut inside and forward runs became scarce, the iconic back-post cross became less frequent.
Despite the shift, his influence was undiminished. During the early part of the pandemic-hit 2020-21 season, De Bruyne carried the creative burden almost single-handedly. With a cautious Guardiola focusing on defensive stability, it was De Bruyne’s 9 assists in 12 league games between October and January that kept the team’s title hopes alive.
That season also saw him negotiate a new contract using a groundbreaking approach: armed with data scientists, De Bruyne argued that City’s odds of winning the Champions League would decrease without him — while rivals’ odds would rise if he joined them. The club listened. He got his pay rise.
His Champions League dream nearly materialised that same season, only to be derailed in the final against Chelsea, where a brutal facial injury forced him off just past the hour.
The Final Stretch (2022–25): Linking Up with Erling Haaland
)
The arrival of Erling Haaland saw De Bruyne morph once again — this time into the striker’s chief supplier. From their very first games together, the chemistry was evident. Whether playing perfectly-timed through balls or looping crosses into space, De Bruyne unlocked defences so Haaland could break records.
Though injuries slowed him down in his final campaign, he remained the creative heartbeat whenever fit. His influence in tight matches, big occasions, and title run-ins remained undiminished. There’s a reason City fans are struggling to imagine a post-De Bruyne era.
Few players get to define a generation at one club. Even fewer do it with the intelligence, elegance and grit that Kevin De Bruyne has shown. From assists nobody saw coming to goals that stopped time, his legacy isn’t just in the trophies — it’s in the moments.
If Sunday is indeed his final City appearance, fans at Craven Cottage and beyond will witness the end of something truly special. Kevin De Bruyne didn’t just play for Manchester City. He changed what was possible there.
And no matter where he goes next, the Etihad will always be his canvas.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)