De Bruyne - genius or overrated star?

Kevin De Bruyne is set to bring an end to a glorious chapter that has lasted nearly a decade at the Etihad.

On The Overlap program in March, most former Premier League players such as Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Ian Wright all agreed that Kevin De Bruyne was the best player in the Premier League in the decade 2015-2025. Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Carragher even commented that De Bruyne was the best player in the world in the past decade.

This comment has caused quite a bit of controversy. A question has been raised: Does De Bruyne really deserve such praise, or is he just a star inflated by the aura of the Manchester City team?

Undeniable talent

There is no doubting De Bruyne's influence on the pitch. With his sharp tactical vision, near-perfect passing ability and a footballing mindset that surpasses most of his peers, he has become the soul of Manchester City's playing style under Pep Guardiola.

The Spanish strategist himself did not hesitate to affirm De Bruyne's talent: "The biggest players appear on the biggest stages. De Bruyne always knows how to shine at important moments." Phil Foden declared: "No player in the world passes the ball better than Kevin."

The statistics seem to agree with this assessment. Throughout his Premier League career, De Bruyne has consistently led the way in assists, with some game-changing moves making him a true “assist king”.

As of April 2025, De Bruyne has made 280 Premier League appearances, scoring 70 goals and providing 118 assists - a figure second only to Ryan Giggs in the league's all-time passing record. He has contributed to six Premier League titles, won two PFA Player of the Year awards, two FWA POTY awards and has been named the 'Assist King' four times - more than anyone else in the history of the competition.

Compared to Mohamed Salah - another top attacking star of the Premier League - De Bruyne is somewhat inferior in terms of goals (Salah scored more than 150 goals in the same period), but is superior in terms of assist ability.

When placed next to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo - two monuments of world football - De Bruyne cannot be compared in terms of goals or individual titles. But in terms of ability to create, De Bruyne is not inferior. In the past decade in the top 5 European leagues, he is only behind Messi in terms of the number of passes that lead to goals.

The 2022/23 season could be considered the peak of De Bruyne's career at Man City. He scored 10 goals and assisted 31 times in all competitions, becoming the king of assists in the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League - the tournament he helped Man City win for the first time. This achievement brought him to 4th place in the race for the Golden Ball that year.

Another notable statistic is the 2019/20 season, when De Bruyne scored 19 goals and provided 28 assists in 51 games. His contribution rate per 90 minutes was 1.04 goals or assists - on par with top strikers like Robert Lewandowski or Kylian Mbappé at the time. In particular, he created 50 clear-cut chances (Big Chances Created) - a number that even Messi rarely achieves in a season.

Argumentative

However, not everyone agrees that De Bruyne is the best player of the past decade in the Premier League or Europe. De Bruyne has not won the FIFA The Best award or the Ballon d'Or, which Van Dijk, Modric, Benzema have done in the era of Messi and Ronaldo's dominance.

Does De Bruyne benefit from Pep's system or vice versa?

De Bruyne’s constant injuries, especially since 2022, have also caused him to miss many important matches. In the 2023/24 season, he only played 18 Premier League matches due to a recurring hamstring injury, scoring 4 goals and 10 assists – modest numbers compared to his previous seasons.

Meanwhile, Salah and Modric have maintained stable performance. Moreover, De Bruyne's performance in the national team is also a minus point. Although he is the player with the most assists in the 21st century for the Belgian team (51), he has never brought the "Red Devils" great success in the World Cup or Euro.

One school of thought is that De Bruyne's brilliance is largely due to Pep Guardiola's impeccable tactical system at Man City. With support from stars like Haaland, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden, his passes are easily converted into goals.

This raises the question: If he played in a team with fewer quality teammates, would he still be able to maintain his form? Is De Bruyne's value exaggerated in the context of Man City being so strong?

However, it is undeniable that Kevin De Bruyne is still a unique phenomenon in world football. He is a testament to a midfielder who is almost complete in the attacking aspect, when he can score and assist, making passes that seem like they only exist in video games.

The debate over De Bruyne's talent will continue, but for what he has achieved - from his impressive statistics to his irreplaceable role at Man City - he deserves to be recognised as one of the legends of modern football.

Source: https://znews.vn/de-bruyne-thien-tai-hay-ngoi-sao-bi-phong-dai-post1543376.html