Kevin De Bruyne has confirmed he will leave Manchester City at the end of the season as the Etihad revolution continues to gain pace.
The Belgium international revealed his decision in an emotional open letter to City supporters published on social media that confirmed these would be his “final months” at the club.
His contract is expiring at the end of the season and there were no formal talks over a renewal, making Friday’s decision feel somewhat inevitable.
But it still marks the end of an era at City as one of the most successful players in the club’s history moves on.
“Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes,” he wrote in a post that began “Dear Manchester”.
Thanking the supporters for backing him during his time in Manchester, he continued: “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 … Every story comes to an end but this has definitely been the best chapter. Let’s enjoy these last moments together.”
De Bruyne will depart as one of the club’s greatest ever players, having lifted 14 major trophies during a glittering City career.
The 33-year-old joined City from Wolfsburg in 2015 and has won the Premier League six times, playing almost 300 times for the club over eight seasons.
Kevin De Bruyne’s Man City honours in full
- 6 x Premier League: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
- 2 x FA Cup: 2018–19, 2022–23
- 5 x EFL Cup: 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21
- 1 x Champions League: 2022–23
- 2 x FA Community Shield: 2019, 2024
- 1 x Uefa Super Cup: 2023
- 1 x Fifa Club World Cup: 2023
De Bruyne is widely expected to move to Saudi Arabia or possibly Major League Soccer, where there has been serious interest in the midfielder.
He was linked with a move to Neom FC, in the second tier of the Saudi leagues, earlier this week but said in his post he would be concentrating on finishing a stop-start season with success.
City are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and battling for a return to the Champions League.
Analysis: How do Man City replace De Bruyne?
Paul Merson might have to stick his tin hat on again.
De Bruyne’s decision to call quits on his Manchester City career will send a legion of Blues back to Google to find that footage of Merson and his Soccer Saturday colleagues reacting to his move to the Etihad with incredulity. £55m, they reasoned back in 2015, was daylight robbery for a player who hadn’t done it at Chelsea.
This opinion on Kevin De Bruyne didn't age well at all…
pic.twitter.com/Uui7tns81g
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 4, 2020
But De Bruyne proved the doubters wrong and then some. Best creative midfielder of his era? It’s difficult to think of too many others who had the impact he had in that fiendishly tough field of making things happen.
That he prospered in the demanding Pep Guardiola system speaks volumes for just how good he has been: 70 goals, 233 games – and a happy knack of finding “clutch” moments in the biggest matches.
He will depart a legend but leave some big questions behind. There is a revolution going on at City – even before we consider what happens if the club are found guilty on a substantive number of the 115 charges – and what comes next is fascinating.
Now we know De Bruyne is going we can add another to the number of players needed this summer in the overhaul of a generation at the Etihad. Three or four starters – minimum – are needed and that’s a tough trick for new director of football Hugo Viana to pull off.
So far City seem to have recruited well. Omar Marmoush has been as good as they hoped he would be and Abdukodir Khusanov’s potential is clear.
City recruited surgically, moving for players they’d done a lot of due diligence on and they knew they could get. But repeating that trick again and again this summer is going to be difficult. How they replace the impact of De Bruyne will tell us a lot about whether they can return to the Premier League summit.
The smart money is on City solidifying their interest in Florian Wirtz and the De Bruyne news gives everyone enough clarity to pave the way for that move. If they can broker the deal – and Bayern Munich present a sizeable obstacle to it – it may be a case of “The King is dead, long live the King”.
Kevin De Bruyne’s emotional message in full
“Seeing this, you probably realise where this is heading. So I’ll get straight to it and let you all 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. 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. Suri, Rome, Mason, Michele, and I are beyond grateful for what this place has meant to our family. “Manchester” will forever be on our kids’ passports – and more importantly, in each of our hearts.
“This will always be our HOME. 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. Let’s enjoy these last moments together!
“Much love, KDB.”
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