Kevin De Bruyne received a standing ovation on Tuesday following his final home appearance for Manchester City. He is set to leave the club at the end of the season.
After City’s 3-1 victory over Bournemouth, De Bruyne stood at the centre of the pitch to watch a video montage of his greatest moments with the team, followed by heartfelt tributes from former teammates, including Vincent Kompany.
“Manchester is home, it’s where my kids were born,” said a tearful De Bruyne. “I came here with my wife to stay … to do what we’ve done as a club. We’ve won everything, we made the club bigger.”
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“I wanted to play with creativity, I wanted to play with passion.”
During his tenure at Manchester City, De Bruyne has claimed six Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy, two FA Cups, and five League Cups. He has also twice earned the Premier League Player of the Season award.
“I wanted to play with creativity, I wanted to play with passion,” the 33-year-old midfielder from Ghent said. “I wanted to enjoy football, and I hope everyone enjoyed it. Everybody has pushed me so hard inside and outside the club to be the best version of myself.”
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The club also revealed plans to erect a statue of De Bruyne outside the Etihad Stadium. “It means I’ll always be part of this club,” he said.
De Bruyne will depart Manchester City following their season’s final match against Fulham on Sunday. He has yet to sign with a new club.
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