Kevin de Bruyne did his emotional farewell at the Etihad stadium after having made his last appearance at home for Manchester City on Tuesday.
De Bruyne will leave City at the end of the season and received an honorary guard by his teammates after helping City to a 3-1 victory against Bournemouth which put them on the verge of the Champions League qualification.
The Belgian international, which won 14 major trophies in a 10 -year spell decorated with City, was played a video featuring tributes from a crowd of former colleagues in the city and his wife and three children, who joined him on the ground to say goodbye to fans of Etihad.
Addressing the crowd, by Bruyne has thought about the legacy he leaves while explaining what the club and the city mean for him and his family.
“Manchester is at home, Manchester is the place where these little children were born,” he said. “I came here with my wife, Michelle, to stay for a long time, I did not expect to be here 10 years. To do what we have done as a club, supporters, teammates that we have won everything. We have made the city, the larger club and now they will take over.
“I wanted to play with creativity, I wanted to play with passion. I wanted to take advantage of football and I hope everyone enjoyed it. Everyone pushed me so hard inside and outside the club to be the best version of myself and these guys, everyone we see on the screen and these guys in front of me did me better than before.
Tribute to King Kev 🩵 pic.twitter.com/j3gydsLxia
– Manchester City (@Mancity) May 20, 2025
“This team tries to entertain people and win. This team works incredibly hard everyone behind the scenes and on the field. This team will win in the future, with or without me, and everyone in the city, the supporters, will be behind the team as they have done with me in the past 10 years. This team will be successful.
“You just want to do well and win, then when you win, you want to win more. You want to push the city and we had five / six parades and it was incredible to see everything that is going on in the city. All the moments with these teammates, there was too much to count. It was a pleasure.”
On the fans, who serenade from Bruyne with songs of his name throughout the evening, of Bruyne added: “They have been very welcoming from the start. To have a complete stadium supporting my family and I said everything. Who can have 50,000 people waiting for you to say goodbye? It’s indescribable and thank you very much. “
Earlier in the day, a Bruyne mosaic was unveiled at the City Football Academy, but it was revealed that a statue of Bruyne will also be built in tribute to the indelible brand he left.
We will honor @Kevindebruyne“S incredible decade of service at the club by ordering a special statue celebrating the magnificent career of Etihad from the midfielder 👑
– Manchester City (@Mancity) May 20, 2025
“This means that I will always be part of this club,” said Bruyne about this honor.
“I always represent a small piece of that and each time I come back with these guys and with my family and my friends, I will be able to stand up around the stadium. I will always be there.
“I think the best way to describe my life with my wife and three children is that we have adapted perfectly. We understand where the club came and why the club means a lot for many people.
“Together, we have built a big future for you, so that the club interprets the way this club occurs. I know it was a little difficult for us, but I think the team deserves all the support of you.
“I know they push very hard and this team will be back next year by pushing all the titles, so they deserve it.
“I think that after 10 years, it was time that someone lets me speak a little and it’s time to say goodbye. I will come back but we love you and you see you soon. ”
