Manchester, May 21: Manchester City will honour Kevin De Bruyne’s incredible decade of service to the Club by commissioning a special statue celebrating the midfielder’s magnificent Etihad career

It was was confirmed immediately after Tuesday night’s penultimate Premier League clash of the 2024/25 season at home to Bournemouth, which marked the 33-year-old’s final Etihad appearance for the Club.

De Bruyne revealed how proud and honoured he was at being afforded such a special tribute in the form of a statue.

"It means I will always be part of this club. Whenever I come back with family and friends, I will be able to see myself so I will always be here," De Bruyne said.

After a success laden 10 years at City, during which time he played more than 400 games, helping the Club win 19 major trophies, De Bruyne will be moving on in the summer.

During his decade in Manchester, apart from his six Premier League titles, the 33-year-old was crowned Premier League Player of the Season twice, in 2019/20 and 2021/22, and also won the Playmaker award for the most assists in a season three times, in 2017/18, 2019/20 and 2022/23.

The 20 goals he created in 2019/20 is also a joint-record for assists in a season, a feat he shares with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.

After the final whistle of the match, Kevin was also presented with a special framed shirt signed by all of team-mates and staff along with a lifetime City Season Card while a special video tribute was played on the Etihad big screen.

In being afforded the honour of having a statue commissioned in his name, De Bruyne will follow in the illustrious footsteps of a number of other totemic City players who have also been recognised for their seismic contributions to the Club.

In 2021, two iconic statues were unveiled outside the Etihad in celebration of former captain Vincent Kompany, and midfield marvel David Silva, both of whom played such a defining part in helping to establish City as one of the game’s pre-eminent forces across more than a decade, according to Manchester City website.

That was then followed in 2022 by another celebratory statue, this time to Sergio Aguero, in recognition of the Club’s all-time record goal scorer whose famous 93:20 strike secured City’s first-ever Premier League title in 2012.

City’s rich history was then further acknowledged in 2023 by what was our latest statue, this time in honour of iconic trio Mike Summerbee, Francis Lee and Colin Bell which recognised the 30 years’ combined service the legendary three gave to City from the 1960s onwards.

Now De Bruyne will see his own enormous recognition across the past 10 years honoured in perpetuity with his own richly deserved statue.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kevin was present at a ceremony at the CFA where a special mosaic honouring his enormous contribution to the Club was unveiled by City Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

Kevin’s mosaic was also the latest in a series of such moving tributes to City legends, Yaya Toure, Joe Hart, David Silva, Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero, Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan.

(IANS)

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