With ice in his veins, Kevin de Bruyne put in a heroic performance with the armband against Real Madrid to show he deserves to lead this team forward as captain starting next season.
Kevin de Bruyne showed me something in one of the biggest matches in Manchester City’s history in the win against Real Madrid on Wednesday. He showed character, heart, and a killer mentality emblematic of this club, and showed that once legend David Silva departs at the end of the season, that he deserves to wear the armband moving forward as club captain.
When his team needed him most, down a goal in a match that would define their season, he found Gabriel Jesus with a brilliant trademark assist to level the game. However, the biggest moment would come when substitute Raheem Sterling won a penalty.
With City’s much-publicized issues from the spot, there was no doubt as De Bruyne stepped up, for the first time in three years, and with ice running through his veins powerfully slotted in the bottom corner past compatriot Thibaut Courtois, who had been excellent on the night. When fully fit and at his best, he is undoubtedly City’s best current player, and in my opinion, the best to ever play for the club.
Something just feels right about a Belgian captaining Manchester City. After the club’s eternal captain Vincent Kompany left at the end of last season, David Silva was the natural choice in the line of succession given his service to the club, but I believe De Bruyne is this squad’s true leader.
I believe he will be remembered at the Etihad as a legendary midfield figure akin to Frank Lampard at Chelsea or Steven Gerrard at Liverpool, and that he will receive the nod from Pep Guardiola to lead this team forward. After the announcement of the UEFA ban from the Champions League, he re-iterated his happiness at the club and his desire to stay, despite media reports of an impending mass exodus.
Although there are several excellent choices to captain the side moving forward, including Sergio Agüero, Aymeric Laporte, and Fernandinho, I believe De Bruyne is the engine and focal point of this team, and his leadership produced something that City have been lacking in recent Champions League campaigns.
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When things have gone wrong in the past, City have been unable to recover, but in this game, even after going a goal down despite controlling the play, the mental strength was a key factor in a legendary comeback. Seeing De Bruyne engineer a famous night in the club’s history with the armband seemed just the perfect fit, and I firmly believe he is the leader to take the team into the future.