413 games for Man City 

©TM/IMAGO

Premier League legend Kevin De Bruyne has confirmed he will leave Manchester City when his contract expires at the end of the season. The 33 year old has been one of the best midfielders in the world for the last decade and has won 16 trophies since joining City from Wolfsburg in 2015, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League in City’s treble-winning season in 2022/2023. “Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter,” the Belgium midfielder wrote on social media. “This City. This club. These people gave me EVERYTHING. I had no choice but to give EVERYTHING back. And guess what – we won EVERYHTHING.”

De Bruyne has scored 106 goals in 413 appearances in all competitions for City, as well as providing a mouth-watering number of assists. However, he has started just 19 games this season, and the fall of his powers has been reflective in Man City’s troublesome campaign. His impact on the Premier League has been incredible, so let’s look at some of the stats behind the great Belgian playmakers time in Manchester.

Kevin De Bruyne’s incredible Manchester City stats cement his legacy

Since De Bruyne arrived from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg for €76 million in 2015, no player in the Premier League has provided more assists. His creativity has been unrivalled. The Belgian won Premier League player of the year in both the 2019/20 and the 2021/22 seasons. In 277 Premier League games he has provided as many as 117 assists. As illustrated in the graphic below, the closest any other player comes to that record in the said timeframe is Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah with 85. De Bruyne also has the second most assists in Premier League history, only behind Ryan Giggs (162).

He has also found the back of his net himself on many occasions, and was a man to turn-up in the biggest games. Some of his most memorable strikes include his fizzed strike against Real Madrid in the 22/23 Champions League semi-final and a superb curled strike against Chelsea from the edge of the box. For years, letting De Bruyne shoot from anywhere around the area has been a no-go for defences. At Manchester City he has become a true legend. Only seven players in their entire history have played more games than his 413 for the club.

The Belgian will be a player not only sorely missed by Manchester City, but missed by the entire Premier League. He has arguably been the division’s best player in the last decade, and has numerously lit up the biggest occasions. Replacing De Bruyne is going to be a near-impossible task for Pep Guardiola’s team. A true Premier League great.