Africa-Press – Eritrea. Kevin de Bruyne has three more Manchester City games to play at Etihad Stadium, selection permitting.
That means three more opportunities for City’s fans to offer him a standing ovation, as they did when he was replaced by Jeremy Doku three minutes from the end of a 5-2 victory against Crystal Palace.
Three more opportunities for De Bruyne to acknowledge those supporters and wave from the pitch to his children, who watched him produce a masterclass in the manner of old.
A decade of service is coming to an end.
In word and deed, De Bruyne is determined his time at City will not close with a whimper.
“I want to go away with a Champions League [place] for this team because they deserve it,” De Bruyne told BBC Match of the Day.
“We’ve been in the Champions League for the nine or 10 years I’ve been here, so I hope we can do that for the team next year. I’ll just try to play good football like I’ve always done.”
The problem is De Bruyne has not played good football this season.
It is one of the reasons Guardiola and outgoing technical director Txiki Begiristain decided not to offer the 33-year-old a contract extension when his current deal expires on 30 June.
It is still not clear whether De Bruyne will remain at the club for their Club World Cup campaign, which might not finish until mid-July.
Rolling back the years
Sadly for Crystal Palace, he chose them to remind us all what he is capable of.
With City trailing 2-0 and seemingly heading for defeat, De Bruyne led the recovery mission.
The Belgian hit the woodwork before pulling a goal back by deceiving goalkeeper Dean Henderson with a free-kick that went in off a post.
The history books will show Ilkay Gundogan was credited with the assist for Omar Marmoush’s equaliser. But it was De Bruyne’s nod-back Marmoush buried after Gundogan had failed to get proper contact on it.
De Bruyne definitely teed up Mateo Kovacic for City’s crucial third goal at the start of the second half, calmly rolling a pass perfectly into the Croat’s path on the edge of the area when many, less aware, colleagues might have panicked and made the wrong decision.
He should really have had another assist when he set up Marmoush but Henderson repelled the Egyptian’s close-range finish.
“It is the kind of performance Kevin has done in many games, for many years,” said Guardiola.
“Unfortunately, for 18 months he could not do it because of the injuries and surgery, but [today] he played fantastic. The gratitude I have for him is huge.”
Even Palace manager Oliver Glasner appreciated De Bruyne’s talent. He just wishes he had not been on the receiving end.
“Every manager loves to see a player like him with intelligence,” he said. “He moves and always finds the space – it is how he scores and creates chances.”
‘Let’s see where I end up next’
Soon, he will not be there. De Bruyne’s future is unknown.
There have been plenty of rumours around Major League Soccer (MLS) and, most recently, Inter Miami, although in some ways the idea of De Bruyne in the same team as Lionel Messi seems a waste.
De Bruyne has no reason to play second fiddle to anyone, not even one of the handful of players widely accepted as being the best ever.
He will reach his conclusion in his own quiet way. De Bruyne certainly thinks he still has something to offer.
“It’s been a hard year but I’ve been pain-free for the last six weeks and that makes a massive difference,” he told TNT Sports.
“I don’t know how I’m going to feel [in my last game] – I’ve been here so long, my kids were born in Manchester and lived their whole life here. It’s going to be different for them. I think they’re a bit scared.
“But if I can play football and my family’s happy, I’m good. I don’t know what will happen next but I want to play on, so let’s see where I end up.”
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