Star Manchester City Man Announces Departure

Manchester City captain Kevin de Bruyne has announced that he will leave the club upon the expiry of his contract at the end of this season, as per the Belgian’s social media and Fabrizio Romano.

Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne Announces Intention To Leave The Club

De Bruyne’s City Career

The 33-year-old joined Manchester City in the summer of 2015 after impressing in the Bundesliga with VFL Wolfsburg in the 2014/15 campaign. The signing was famously labelled as ‘a joke’ by former Arsenal player Paul Merson, who claimed that City had massively overpaid for the attacking midfielder.

The Belgian has made 413 appearances for Manchester City in all competitions, scoring 106 times and providing a staggering 174 assists.

Since his arrival, De Bruyne has consistently been one of the best players in the Premier League and he has developed into one of the most dangerous attacking threats in world football. The Citizens’ number 17  won the Premier League Player of the Season award in 2019/20 and 2021/22, becoming just the fourth player to win the accolade on multiple occasions, and he was named UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Season in 2019/20.

He was also the fastest player in the history of the Premier League to reach 100 assists, doing so in 237 games, 56 games less than the previous record holder, Cesc Fabregas and he has provided multiple assists in a Premier League game 19 times, more than any other player in the competition’s history.

A Difficult 2024/25 Campaign

Unfortunately, injuries seem to have got the better of De Bruyne in this campaign.

After a solid start to the campaign, City’s creative spark was forced to withdraw at half-time in their opening Champions League game against Inter Milan. This saw the midfielder miss over a month of action and he has struggled to consistently find fitness and form since.

The 33-year-old has not started a league game since February 23 and he was left on the bench for the entirety of City’s Champions League Round of 16 Playoff second-leg against Real Madrid.

His goal and assist numbers have also massively dropped off this term, which may explain why he has decided to leave the club. The Belgian international has scored just four times and provided seven assists in 31 appearances in all competitions. For context, he scored six times and provided 17 assists last season despite playing just 26 games.

What Has Been Said On The Matter

In a statement released across his social media, De Bruyne said: “I’ll get straight to it and let you know that these will be my final months as a Manchester City player.

“Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes…

“This city. This club. These people… gave me EVERYTHING…

“We cannot thank the city, club, staff, teammates, friends and family enough for this 10-year ride.

“Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter.”

Pep Guardiola was also asked about losing his club captain during his press conference ahead of the Manchester Derby.

The Catalan said: “We’ve always had a special relationship. Kevin is a special person and player…

“It’s an emotional moment like with Sergio [Aguero]…

“Of course, we are going to enjoy the last two months together but emotionally it’s tough, it’s difficult.”