'Remember me with joy': Kevin De Bruyne bids farewell to Manchester City fans
21 May 2025, 09:18
A tearful Kevin De Bruyne bade farewell to Manchester City fans as he said he hoped they would remember him "with joy".
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The Belgian made his 142nd and final home appearance for the club in Tuesday's 3-1 win over Bournemouth, coming within inches of capping it with a goal when he hit the crossbar in the first half, before an emotional on-field presentation after the match.
Pep Guardiola could be seen crying too as videos of tributes from former team-mates including Sergio Aguero, Fernandinho, and Vincent Kompany, club great Mike Summerbee and admirers including Thierry Henry were played on the big screen.
Read More: Jack Grealish's Man City future will be decided at the end of the season, Pep Guardiola reveals
City players and staff had lined up to give De Bruyne a guard of honour as he walked out on to the pitch alongside his wife Michele and their three children, and the 33-year-old struggled to compose himself when first asked to speak.
"Manchester is home," De Bruyne said. "Manchester is where these little kids were born. I came here with my wife Michele and we didn't expect to be here 10 years, to do what we have done as a club, with the supporters, my team-mates.
"We've won everything. We've made the club bigger and now they're going to take over."
De Bruyne has scored 108 goals in 421 City appearances, the first City midfielder since Colin Bell to hit triple figures, while also piling up 177 assists.
During his 10-year stay, De Bruyne became City's most successful player, winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, the Champions League, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
"I wanted to play with creativity, I wanted to play with passion," he said. "I wanted to enjoy football and I hope, I think, everybody enjoyed it. Everybody pushed me so hard from the inside and outside the club to be the best version of myself.
"These guys you see on the screen and these guys in front of me made me better than I was. It was an absolute honour to play with these guys. I made friends for life and you know all together we will be back for sure."
Asked how he wanted to be remembered by fans, he said: "With joy. I want to entertain people and to win. This teams works incredibly hard, this team wants to win and they will win in the future with me or without me."
Before the game the club unveiled a mosaic and dedicated a road at the club's academy to De Bruyne, and it was announced after the match he will also be honoured with a statue outside the Etihad Stadium - following on from his former team-mates David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero.
The mosaic, installed by a training pitch at the City Football Academy, depicts a De Bruyne celebration and was revealed to the player by club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak ahead of the visit of the Cherries.
Created by local Manchester artist and City fan Mark Kennedy, the artwork is the latest in a series of tributes to City greats, including Silva, Kompany, Aguero, Yaya Toure, Joe Hart, Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan.
