- Kevin De Bruyne joined Manchester City in 2015, and has gone to become one of the best players in the history of the English Premier League.
- De Bruyne has won it all with City, including six Premier League titles, a Champions League, two FA Cups, and five League Cups.
- The Belgium international has been hit by injuries over the last two seasons, and has decided to leave the club when his contract expires this summer.
Kevin De Bruyne will go down in history as one of the best players to grace the English Premier League. He joined Manchester City in 2015, and over the last decade, the Cityzens have become of the top clubs in world soccer.
However, the club captain has had a tough time with injuries over the past two seasons. At 33 years old, De Bruyne will leave City after his contract expires, and his future is up in the air.
De Bruyne Leaving City as a Premier League Legend
Bruyne broke the news on his social media on Friday morning.
The 33-year-old got his start in Belgium at Genk, and then moved on to Chelsea, where he made nine appearances over two seasons. He went to Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg, and was bought by Manchester City in August 2015 for $83 million. That number looks like a bargain now.
Over the past decade, De Bruyne has led City to six Premier League titles, including four in a row before this season. City has been a staple at the top of soccer betting sites for both the EPL title and the Champions League, which they won in 2023, and were a runner-up in 2021. The Cityzens also won two FA Cups with De Bruyne, as well as five League Cups.
Individually, De Bruyne was named Manchester City Player of the season four times, most recently in 2022. He was in five Premier League Teams of the Season and two Champions League Teams of the Season. The Belgium international was also named the Players’ Player of the Year in England twice, and is second only to Ryan Giggs for Premier League assists in history with 118. At his peak, there wasn’t a better passer of the ball than De Bruyne in the world.
De Bruyne never found success with Belgium, if there is a mark on his career. Belgium finished third at the 2018 World Cup, where he was named to the Fan Dream Team. Despite being wildly talented, Belgium just never got over the hump, but De Bruyne did his best.
His contract is expiring this summer, but at 33, injuries have gotten the better of De Bruyne, who has played 31 games this season, mostly as a substitute. He missed over a month earlier this season and dealt with a hamstring problem last season.
The City and Belgium captain has decided to call time on his Manchester era, and his international career will likely soon follow. He could still lift one trophy as City are in the FA Cup semifinals against Nottingham Forest and the favorites in the competition.
What’s Next for Kevin De Bruyne?
You’ll probably start seeing odds for De Bruyne’s next step soon. There was talk earlier this year that De Bruyne was headed to Major League Soccer in the United States, which is the most likely scenario. De Bruyne’s body won’t allow him to play at the top level in Europe anymore, but he could easily join Lionel Messi in MLS and be one of the best players in the league by a wide margin.
San Diego FC has been trying to entice De Bruyne for a while now, so that would be his path to MLS. There is also the chance he could go to Saudi Arabia and make a ton of money. He has probably already made his decision and is just waiting for the season to end. But Kevin de Bruyne should be remembered as one of the best midfielders of his generation, and will go down as a legend in the Premier League.