From day one, it seemed like Kevin De Bruyne was destined to become a superstar at Manchester City as he registered 14 goals and 13 assists in his debut season at the Etihad Stadium.
The Belgian was one of Europe’s best up-and-coming midfielders in Europe and he delivered on his promise in a Manchester City shirt.
As Fulham fans applauded De Bruyne after his final game at City, he is set to depart English football as one of the Premier League’s greatest players of all time.
While the midfield maestro would not have found it easy to play for Manuel Pellegrini’s Sky Blues side, who finished fourth in the league in his first season at the club — he would have enjoyed learning his craft from legendary midfielders like Yaya Toure, David Silva and Fernandinho.
With De Bruyne set to sign for Napoli, he would be reflecting on his learning curve under such iconic players.
Kevin De Bruyne says David Silva taught him the most at Man City
Having witnessed such players help him along the way would have inspired Kevin De Bruyne to do the same when the likes of Phil Foden, Oscar Bobb and James McAtee perhaps came to him to seek advice.
De Bruyne is Tijjani Reijnders’ idol as well as over the years, he has solidified his status as a legend of the game.
Reflecting on his unforgettable spell at Manchester City, the six-time Premier League winner told Men In Blazers that it was David Silva who he learned from the most: “Well, I think I would say David, David Silva, just because he plays a bit similar position. I would say he played more advanced when I was coming and I played more the box-to-box midfield, a little bit more defensively.”
De Bruyne holds David Silva in the highest esteem as he continued to cite his influence on him in detail: “But, you know, you pick up little things, you know, the understanding of how he plays the game. He’s a very different profile than I do but you know, how to play in the pockets, the controlling of the game, you know, all that kind of things that are maybe not like, you don’t see it on any stat sheet but you understand like what he does in the game to make sure that the team is ticking around and that we can win these games is really important as a midfielder.”
De Bruyne and David Silva’s record together at Man City
The Spaniard formed one of the best midfield duos the Premier League has ever seen alongside the treble-winner, particularly in City’s famous ‘Centurions’ season.
David Silva is one of Andres Iniesta’s favourite players and his extraordinary time at City speaks for itself.
Alongside De Bruyne, Silva played 144 times for Manchester City in tandem.
| KEVIN DE BRUYNE AND DAVID SILVA’S MAN CITY RECORD | |
| APPEARANCES | 144 |
| WINS | 105 |
| DRAWS | 17 |
| LOSSES | 22 |
| JOINT-GOAL PARTICIPATION | 8 |
The Sky Blues duo won 105 games out of 144 while losing and drawing 22 and 17 respectively.
De Bruyne and David Silva assisted each other four times each and scored eight goals when combining with each other for Manchester City.
While it was clear to see how incredible their synergy was on the pitch, the same seems to have been the case behind the scenes as well.
