Kevin De Bruyne has rewarded Manchester City’s daring decision to pay a club-record fee of £55 million to sign him back in the summer of 2015 with his all-conquering displays and more.
However, there was some initial scepticism about whether the Belgian international would be able to flourish in the English Premier League, as numerous fans and analysts could not help but recall his difficult time at Chelsea.
Fast forward to the present day, and the most frequently asked question about the 31-year-old is whether he is the best midfielder to ever grace the Premier League.
There is a solid case to be made that Kevin De Bruyne has already been the stand-out player in the middle of the park in world football during his seven years at the Etihad Stadium.
The former VfL Wolfsburg talisman’s extraordinary consistency at the highest level is well recognised by his colleagues, as he is one of only three Premier League players to have won the PFA Player of the Year award consecutively.
Several current Premier League youth, notably Arsenal’s Emile Smith-Rowe and Dejan Kulusevski, have named Manchester City vice-captain as one of their footballing idols.
As the world recognises Kevin De Bruyne’s magnificence, another guy joins the list: the iconic Ronaldinho.
“(Kevin) De Bruyne is my favourite Red Devil,” he said when discussing Belgian players, as relayed by Voetbal Nieuws and translated by Sport Witness.
The Brazilian icon added, “I love his style.
“Okay, he’s not a dribbler like Eden Hazard, but he has great technique.”
“He is a great player.”
The four-time Premier League champion is clearly Belgium’s strongest hope heading into the 2022 Qatar World Cup, if its dwindling ‘Golden Generation’ hopes to finally win some silverware.
In his team’s UEFA Nations League match against Wales on Friday night, the accomplished midfielder stepped up to the plate once more, scoring and assisting to lead his country to a 2-1 victory.
Given that a player of Ronaldinho’s calibre admires Kevin De Bruyne, he is clearly doing more good than harm for both club and nation.
