New Delhi: 

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has named Kevin De Bruyne the second-best passer he has ever worked with, ranking him just behind Lionel Messi. The Spaniard was full of praise for the Belgian midfielder, placing him above other legendary pass-masters he has managed, such as Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez at FC Barcelona, and former City star David Silva.

De Bruyne’s home farewell:

Speaking about his replacement, the Spanish manager said, “There are players who are really, really difficult for many reasons, we know that. But the season we have done is the season we have done – we cannot deny it. Of course, we have to move forward.”

Whether he will start in the final home game in a City jersey at Etihad Stadium wasn’t confirmed by Pep. He said he will get what he deserves. There will be a post-match presentation for Bruyne to honour all he has done for the club. He will be given a guard of honour from teammates and coaches at full-time.

De Bruyne will be presented with gifts by legend Colin Bell’s wife and son after a short speech on the pitch. His campaign will come to an end on Sunday with a trip to Fulham marking his last game for Cityzens.

The Belgian midfielder made 258 league appearances under Guardiola and registered 0.5 assists and created 3.6 chances per 90 minutes during rating higher than Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Silva.

His passing accuracy is lower, 82.4%, when compared with the rest five players, but that is because he plays risky passes in the final third in an attempt to unlock opponent defences.

The Belgian star announced last month that he will depart from City at the end of the season after a 10-year-long spectacular career, with his final home match as they host Bournemouth on Tuesday.

Guardiola said that Bruyne is one of the best three, and it would be difficult to find another player of his calibre. He said, “One is Messi and the other two, let me think about it…OK, let me put Kevin second.”

He added, “Messi is the best I have ever seen because Messi has done it really, really close to the box, but Kevin is there. It’s just the stats, the goals, the assists, that he provides to the team in the final third and the talent.”

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