FOOTBALL
De Bruyne to leave Man City at end of season
Kevin De Bruyne has announced he will leave Manchester City at the end of the season.
The City captain, whose contract runs out at the end of the campaign, confirmed in a social media post on Friday that "these will be my final months as a Manchester City player".
De Bruyne signed for City in August 2015 from Wolfsburg and has since made 413 appearances in all competitions.
Advertisement
He was part of Pep Guardiola's treble-winning side in 2022-23 and has won 16 trophies with the club, including six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cup triumphs and five EFL Cups.
De Bruyne has netted 106 goals across all competitions and has notched 169 assists. He has registered 118 of those in the Premier League and became the quickest player to reach the 100-mark in the competition in April 2023, doing so in 237 games.
Of players to make 50+ appearances in the Premier League, De Bruyne has the best minutes-per-assist ratio in the competition's history (177).
Overall, the Belgian has the second-most assists in Premier League history, behind only Ryan Giggs (162) and also recorded the joint-most assists in a single campaign in the competition (20 in 2019-20, level with Thierry Henry).
"Seeing this, you probably realise where this is heading. So, I'll get straight to it and let you know that these will be my final months as a Manchester City player," he said on social media in a post titled "Dear Manchester".
"Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes. That day is here - and you deserve to hear it from me first.
"Football led me to all of you - and to this city. Chasing my dream, not knowing this period would change my life. This city. This club. These people... gave me everything. I had no choice but to give everything back! And guess what - we won everything.
"Whether we like it or not, it's time to say goodbye. We cannot thank the city, club, staff, team-mates, friends and family enough for this 10-year ride.
"Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter. Let's enjoy these last moments together!"
De Bruyne's playing time in recent seasons has been hampered by injuries, limiting him to just 19 starts in all competitions this term and 31 appearances overall.
Among City players, only Savinho (10) and Matheus Nunes (eight) have bettered his seven assists in 2024-25, while he has created the fourth-most chances (56).
Must-Watch Video