When his contract with Manchester City comes to an end at the end of the season, Kevin de Bruyne has announced that he will leave the club. Since joining City from Wolfsburg in 2015, De Bruyne, 33, has won 16 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the 2023 Champions League. Pep Guardiola called De Bruyne "one of the greatest midfielders to ever play in this country" in his reaction to the news. The Belgium midfielder has made 413 appearances for City, scoring 106 goals. City has called him a "global icon of the game," but he has only started 19 games this season. "Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter," De Bruyne wrote on social media. "I met you all and this city thanks to football. I chased my dream without realizing that this time would alter my life. This city. This club. I received everything from these people. I had no other choice but to return everything. And you should know that we won everything.
"Whether we like it or not, it's time to say goodbye. We, Suri, Rome, Mason, and Michele, are indebted to this location for everything it has meant to our family. Manchester will always be remembered by our children and, more importantly, by each of us. We will always call this our home. We cannot express our gratitude enough to the city, club, staff, teammates, friends, and family for this 10-year journey." Guardiola compared De Bruyne's impact to that of former City players Sergio Aguero, David Silva, and Vincent Kompany, all of whom won titles and have statues outside the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola stated, "A sad day but a happy day for the fact that I personally had the pleasure to live this time with him.
" "What he gave us—everyone of us—was his humanity and his influence on our success over the past ten years. Of course, part of us is leaving. These players contributed after David, Sergio, or Vincent left. He is one of this nation's greatest. Always I have to be careful for the respect for the players that have played incredible roles, but there's no doubt he's one of the greatest for sure.
"The doors are open here for the rest of his life. He's part of this family, this club.
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Asked if De Bruyne will also have a statue, Guardiola added: "I don't know. But I will bet a lot of money that is going to happen, that's for sure. It is his right to be." City to say "emotional goodbye" City, which has won the Premier League four times, said they will have a "fitting tribute" before the season ends. "Manchester City will bid an emotional farewell to Kevin de Bruyne this summer when his contract expires, bringing an end to a glittering 10-year period at the club," the club said.
"The Belgian, a global sporting icon, has appeared in 413 City games. "He has scored 106 times during that time, becoming the first City midfielder since Colin Bell to reach 100 goals. "The club and all of our fans will now take the time to deliver a fitting tribute and farewell to one of the greatest players to ever play in the Premier League.
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The Belgium captain moved to City from Bundesliga club Wolfsburg in 2015 for £55m.
De Bruyne, who had previously played in wide and attacking positions, was helped to develop into a central midfielder when manager Guardiola joined City a year later. De Bruyne played a huge part as City enjoyed a dazzling period of success, culminating in the club's first Champions League triumph two seasons ago in Istanbul, where they beat Inter Milan in the final.
However, in recent years, De Bruyne has begun to struggle with injuries. He missed almost five months of last season as City won their fourth consecutive Premier League title, playing just 26 games in all competitions.
He paused contract negotiations more recently while recuperating from a September thigh issue. The former Chelsea player said he was "open to everything" last summer after being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.
It appears that De Bruyne could play for City in the group stage of this summer's Club World Cup, but as it stands he would not be eligible for the knockout stage as his contract expires at the end of June.
Guardiola says it is up to the player to decide whether to sign a short extension that covers the rest of the tournament and then leave.
The rules for signing players have also been changed by Fifa, the world governing body, so that clubs can sign players only for the tournament. De Bruyne began his professional career with Genk in Belgium before making the approximately £7 million move to Chelsea in January 2012. Before signing with Wolfsburg in 2013, he only made nine appearances for the Blues and spent a season on loan at Werder Bremen. The midfielder has also played 109 times for Belgium, participating in three European Championships and three World Cups. At the 2018 global tournament in Russia, the Belgians finished third after defeating England 2-0 in the play-off.
KEVIN DE BRUYNE STATS - PREMIER LEAGUE RECORDS
*Since De Bruyne joined City in 2015 he has the most Premier League assists (117), chances created (827) and big chances created (193).
*He has the second highest number of assists in Premier League history, behind only Ryan Giggs (162).
*He has the joint most Premier League Player of the Season awards with two - in 2019-20 and 2021-22 - alongside Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nemanja Vidic. Surprisingly, he has never won a Player of the Month award though.
* Level with Henry for the most assists in a single Premier League season, producing 20 in the 2019-20 campaign.
*Has won the most Premier League Playmaker awards, given to the player with the most assists, winning it three times (2017-18, 2019-20 and 2022-23).
*Has also won four Manchester City Player of the Season awards, has been in the Champions League Team of the Season twice and finished third in the Ballon d'Or in 2022.
'De a true great'
Analysis by BBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty When any conversation takes place, whether it is now or in the future, about the greatest players to grace the Premier League, Kevin de Bruyne will justifiably be part of it. The heartbeat of one of the finest teams in the history of British football, De Bruyne was a creator supreme, a scorer of goals, a controller and dictator of games at the very highest level.
The Premier League has been fortunate to have him and we have been fortunate to watch him.
The word "great" is bandied around too easily - but it fits De Bruyne perfectly.
One stand-out personal memory was De Bruyne's performance when Manchester City beat Real Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League semi-final second leg at Etihad Stadium in May 2023.
City's first 45 minutes, in which they established a 2-0 lead, remains one of the finest halves of football I have ever witnessed - they delivered quality of the highest level, executed at a searing pace that bewildered Real Madrid.
At the heart of it all was De Bruyne, the great orchestrator of a magnificent team display.
If there is a sadness about De Bruyne's City career, it is that he was injured during both of their Champions League final appearances, suffering a serious facial injury following a collision with Antonio Rudiger in the 1-0 loss to Chelsea in 2021, then sustaining a hamstring injury in the victory against Inter Milan two years later.
What club will Kevin de Bruyne join?
BBC Radio Manchester journalist Mike Minay
Kevin de Bruyne was linked with Saudi Arabia last summer, and although he told me earlier in the season he personally had not held any talks, that could be an option.
He's got bags of talent, and although the injury concerns in recent seasons could be an issue for top clubs, he is still an elite-level player so could really end up anywhere.
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