‘Unique' Kevin De Bruyne leaves Man City with an impossible question

It will be Kevin De Bruyne 's night. Although, in some respects, it doesn't really sound like his kind of occasion. De Bruyne has been Manchester City 's down-to-earth superstar, the footballer who does the school run. There will be a light show after his final game at the Etihad Stadium. When De Bruyne's name has been up in lights, it has tended to be because of talent, rather than preference, due to the way he manipulates a ball rather than chases fame. He might not have chosen this, just as he didn't choose to leave this year.
But a farewell involves a recognition, a celebration. Of a decade that has brought 19 trophies, 108 goals, 173 assists, moments that no one else could imagine, let alone produce. There will be a guard of honour from his teammates and a lap of appreciation, pyrotechnics and presents, some handed over by Marie and Jon Bell, the wife and son of Colin. Their late husband and father long had the status of City's greatest player. Now that probably rests with De Bruyne.
So City will pay their tribute. What it might not include, however, is a valedictory start on a ground he has graced. Pep Guardiola stopped short of promising it, or even guaranteeing him a cameo. It may not be his night on the pitch.
De Bruyne's time in England has seen City become the outstanding side in Europe. Now they sit sixth in the Premier League, needing to finish as one of the five best. 'What Kevin wants is that we win the game to qualify for the Champions League,' said Guardiola, implying the leaving present could come from the player to the club.
For most of that decade, selecting De Bruyne would be the best way to decide a meeting with Bournemouth. But his ageing legs were required for over 100 minutes in the FA Cup final, Guardiola is working out whether his optimum gameplan ties in with De Bruyne's perfect goodbye. The Jamie Vardy party at Leicester on Sunday came with nothing at stake, this when the consequences are considerable.
So Guardiola has to decide if De Bruyne is in Tuesday's team. In another respect, he could figure in his all-time team. As he casts his mind back across more than three decades' involvement with world-class footballers, whether as player and manager, he believes the Belgian belongs among the best passers.
He played with Ronald Koeman and Michael Laudrup. He managed the masters of tiki-taka, Xavi and Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, at Barcelona. He went to Bayern Munich, with Philipp Lahm, Thiago Alcantara and Bastian Schweinsteiger. His City midfields have included Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri, David and Bernardo Silva. Each excelled at passing the ball.
And De Bruyne? 'He's one of the best three I have ever seen that I ever played or dealt with,' Guardiola said. Which prompted the question of who the other two are, even if part of the answer was obvious.
'One is [Lionel] Messi, and the other two; let me think about it... okay, let me put Kevin second,' said a manager who will invariably put Messi first in almost every category.
'Messi is the best I've ever seen because Messi has done it really, really close to the box but Kevin is there,' Guardiola continued. 'It's just the stats, the goals, the assists, that he provides to the team in the final third, the talent. In the last game [the FA Cup final] he had two or three passes again, [to put] one player in front of the keeper. That is unique, that's why he has been one of the best players this club has had in the whole history. These are big, big words because he's been a special player.'
If there is a distinction, Guardiola was talking about a type of passer. Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta would play more passes in a game than De Bruyne, and with a higher completion rate, too. Perhaps, in his heyday, Guardiola himself would, too. But, like Messi, De Bruyne is a creative passer, the man who can provide the final ball, who can unlock a defence with piercing vision and incisive inspiration. As Guardiola suggested, De Bruyne does it from further out: few have his ability to whip, bend, curl and place a pass from 30 or 40 yards
There have been hints of David Beckham about it, a touch of Steven Gerrard, a devastating impact Guardiola put second only to Messi's. All of which renders the summer task for the manager, and the departing and incoming sporting directors, Txiki Begiristain and Hugo Viana, borderline impossible. How do they find a successor to a player Guardiola called unique?
'There are players who are really difficult to replace, really, really difficult for many reasons,' mused Guardiola. 'We know that. Of course we have to move forward.' He hopes it will be in the Champions League and knows it will without De Bruyne. Those potential replacements could include Florian Wirtz, Tijjani Reinders or Morgan Gibbs-White. Each is a fine footballer, one with a capacity to create and the ability to score. But the common denominator is that none is De Bruyne, the passer Guardiola ranks second only to Messi.

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