On May 21 marked De Bruyne’s last home match in Man City, when he played 70 minutes in the home team’s 3-1 victory over Bournemouth in the Premier League. After the match, the Belgian star was honored on the pitch with a video of gratitude and celebration, and the club also announced to make a statue to make his 10 -year impression.
“That means I will always be part of the club,” De Bruyne said. “Whenever I go back to my family and friends, I will be able to see my own image – as if I were always here.”
With this decision, De Bruyne became the fourth player in the modern era built by Man City, after Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva. He will also shoulder the legend of the 1960 and 70s clubs like Mike SummerBee, Francis Lee and Colin Bell.
De Bruyne announced in April that he would break up Man City when the maturity contract this summer. Since coming to Etihad from Wolfsburg in 2015, the Belgian midfielder had 421 appearances, scored 108 goals and created 177 times. De Bruyne won 6 Premier League titles and 1 Champions League (2023) with the Green Man.
“You just want to play well and win, and then want to win more,” De Bruyne said. “We had 5 to 6 celebrating parades, so wonderful. Witnessing everything happened in the city, and all the moments with his teammates – there were so many unmatched memories. It was a great privilege.”
De Bruyne has not yet confirmed the next stop in his career, but according to The Athletic, the Chicago Fire Club (MLS) is the leading team of the British signature race.
On the day of farewell to Etihad, De Bruyne was lined up by Man City players to create an honorary fence both when playing and leaving the field. The emotional videos from the family and old teammates like Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho are also shown on the big screen after the full whistle.
With the victory over Bournemouth, Man City has risen to the third place of the Premier League, and will end the 2024/25 season with the away match against Fulham next Sunday.
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