Can Kevin de Bruyne be Man City’s Frank Lampard?
Since signing from Wolfsburg in 2015, Kevin de Bruyne has established himself as one of world football’s elite midfield talents. On track for a historic season, he could ascend even further: to the status of club legend.
After returning to training after missing Manchester City’s 2-0 home defeat to Wolves prior to the international break, one thing is clear: Kevin de Bruyne has established himself as an un-droppable player in the world’s most competitive starting XI.
When fully fit and on form, he is Manchester City’s best player, arguably the Premier League’s best player, and in my opinion, world football’s best midfielder and in contention to be the third-best overall after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
De Bruyne’s star has only risen since returning from an injury-riddled 2018/19 campaign, and is well on pace to put up the greatest passing season in Premier League history with a whopping eight assists in just seven matches. With Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists in a league season well within the Belgian wizard’s crosshairs, re-writing the record books this year could elevate his status from superstar to club icon.
De Bruyne has already made history in 2019, however. After assisting Sergio Agüero’s opener against Bournemouth earlier this season, the Belgian became the fastest to reach 50 assists in Premier League history, achieving the feat in just 123 matches, 18 less than previous record holder Mesut Özil.
One unnoticed aspect of De Bruyne’s excellence this season is his positioning. While City appear to play a nominal 4-3-3 when in possession of the ball, Statsbomb.com determined that in actuality, the system resembles more of a 4-2-4, with De Bruyne occupying the free number 10 role across the attacking third. This position was created by Pep Guardiola for Messi during their time at Barcelona, with the Catalan manager putting his best creative talent as the fulcrum for nearly everything his side does, a true testament to the ability of these players.
While inherent differences exist between De Bruyne and a player like Frank Lampard for Chelsea, the idea that De Bruyne could be City’s iconic midfielder to be remembered for generations is food for thought.
In terms of a career arc, De Bruyne shares several similarities with Lampard. Both are not one-club academy products, with the Belgian developing at Genk before a short Chelsea stint resulted in him establishing himself in the Bundesliga. Similarly, Lampard made 148 West Ham appearances before his move to Stamford Bridge.
Furthermore, both made history from midfield at their respective clubs. Lampard is Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer with 211 goals. While De Bruyne is currently 34 assists behind David Silva for City’s all-time assist lead in the Premier League, with the Spanish magician departing the club next summer, if De Bruyne can manage 12 assists per season beyond this point (not including the rest of 2019-20), he will easily eclipse his teammate within three years.
Next. A statistical look at Man City’s 2019/20: What’s different?. dark
While Silva currently reigns as City’s most iconic midfield player of recent history, and may always hold that crown for his role in the club’s ascent to domestic dominance, De Bruyne’s peak is the highest of any player of the last decade. From laser-driven passes, stunning vision, and an eye for goal, he plays football unlike any other, and if he can maintain form and fitness in the years to come, he will have a legitimate argument to be the greatest to ever wear the sky blue shirt.