Kevin De Bruyne was playing magical football during Manchester City’s 1-0 win at Leicester City over the weekend.
Not only was the Belgian maestro the match-winner on the day with an inch-perfect free-kick, but he was also typically unerring in the heart of Pep Guardiola‘s midfield with delicious passes and interplay every other second.
Such was De Bruyne‘s quality at the King Power Stadium, in fact, that his manager couldn’t help but dish out the compliments as part of a glowing post-match interview.
According to City’s official website, Guardiola said of the two-time PFA Players’ Player of the Year: “Kevin can do the free kicks and do the assists, we know it.
“He is a player who needs his dynamic. If he stays in his position, it is not his top (level). His top is if he has the freedom to move into the pocket, or lateral, or to the right, or to the box – he has the freedom and he has quality.
“Kevin needs movements, not being quiet in one position. And today he is back. It’s not that he cannot do it – we are seven seasons together – we have done everything except sleep together! We have done everything!
“I know him quite well. Nothing is going to change my opinion of what he has done for this Club and for me personally. But I have the duty in my job to say, ‘I want more’.
“I want this Kevin and we need this Kevin. The game against Brighton he scored a fantastic goal – but it is not enough.
“The goals and assists he can do blind. But we need this type of involvement in the game. And today that was the case.”
Fascinating insight from Guardiola indeed, and the very dynamism and movement he alludes to was present in De Bruyne’s performance from the first minute to the very last.
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And you only need to look at the scintillating counterattack that he spearheaded for the Premier League champions in stoppage time to see just how deadly an unshackled De Bruyne truly is.
Heading away a James Maddison corner, De Bruyne proceeded to retrieve the ball from Phil Foden and dart from one end of the pitch to the other in an intimidating example of how much of a cheat code he really is in the Premier League.
Galloping down the turf with a pace that we frankly didn’t know the 31-year-old had in his locker, De Bruyne had Leicester on the back foot as he quickly made it all the way to the edge of their penalty area.
And the end product that De Bruyne produced was simply delicious, curving a typically penetrative pass that Ilkay Gundogan was barely an inch away from bundling into the net.
So, just in case you’re in need of a reminder of just how outrageous De Bruyne is on the ball when he’s in full flight, then be sure to check out his one-man counterattack for yourself down below:
Yup, the bloke’s a joke.
Don’t underestimate for a second how difficult it is to play a pass that delicious when your legs are still flying back and forth mid-sprint.
And that’s before we even mention how underrated it is to run that fast in the first place when the ball is at your feet.
There are plenty of players who can turn on the afterburners when they don’t need to dribble and keep the ball under control at the same time, but to master that balancing act of multitasking is a talent reserved for only the very best.
Marry that to the fact that De Bruyne generally looked rapid even when the ball was out of his feet and you’ve seriously got to ask questions about EA Sports only giving him a pace rating of 74 on FIFA 23.
Then again, seeing as he’s the joint-highest-rated male player on the game, we’re not sure the Premier League’s resident Swiss Army knife will be losing too much sleep over video game stats.
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