Guardiola: 'De Bruyne is extraordinary'

Pep Guardiola praised Kevin De Bruyne's impressive performance after the midfielder was involved in all three goals against Copenhagen in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.

De Bruyne opened the scoring for Man City in the 10th minute with a clever finish from a tight angle. Later, his challenge with a Copenhagen defender created an opportunity for Bernardo Silva to make it 2-1. In injury time of the second half, De Bruyne's no-look pass set up Phil Foden to seal a 3-1 victory for the defending champions.

De Bruyne celebrates after opening the scoring for Man City against Copenhagen. Photo: PA

De Bruyne was sidelined for five months due to a hamstring injury sustained in the opening match of the 2023-2024 Premier League season. But since returning last month, the Belgian midfielder has scored two goals and provided seven assists in seven games. De Bruyne also became the fourth player to score at least 10 goals in the Champions League knockout rounds since the 2019-2020 season, after Karim Benzema (17 goals), Erling Haaland (13) and Robert Lewandowski (11).

"He's extraordinary. Great players love to play in big competitions. The Champions League round of 16 is a test of the quality of great players and we've started well," Guardiola commented on De Bruyne's form since returning from injury.

De Bruyne hasn't started every game since his return. The 32-year-old only played the full 90 minutes against Copenhagen and in the 3-1 win against Brentford in the Premier League on February 5th. Guardiola has been cautious about his player's fitness. But whether he starts or not, De Bruyne always knows how to make an impact.

In 2024, De Bruyne was one of four Premier League players with the most goal contributions (two goals, six assists). The others were Foden (six goals, two assists), Diogo Jota (five goals, three assists), and Darwin Nunez (four goals, four assists). His form contributed to Manchester City's 11-game winning streak across all competitions, keeping alive their hopes of repeating last season's treble.

"Copenhagen played well in the group stage, so we have to respect them. Man City started well but made a mistake and were punished by the opponent. Overall, the team played well. We created many chances in the second half and should have scored more goals. Luckily, in the end, Man City still scored three goals to have the advantage going into the second leg," De Bruyne commented on the team's performance.

Man City will host Chelsea in the 25th round of the Premier League on February 17th. They will then face Copenhagen again in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 on March 6th.

Vinh San (according to AFP )

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