Leaving them Blue: De Bruyne, ‘one of City’s greatest’, to exit

washington: Kevin De Bruyne says he will leave Manchester City - confirming these are his “final months” with the Premier League champion.

The 33-year-old Belgium playmaker, who is out of contract this summer, announced the news in an emotional post on his social media channels on Friday.

“Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes. That day is here,” he wrote.

De Bruyne joined City from Wolfsburg for around $71 million in 2015 and has gone on to win every major honor with the club, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League.

In all he has helped City win 16 major trophies — including the Club World Cup — and established himself as one of the all-time Premier League greats.

“This city. This club. These people... gave me EVERYTHING. I had no choice but to give EVERYTHING back! And guess what — we won EVERYTHING,” he wrote. “Whether we like it or not, it’s time to say goodbye.”

City manager Pep Guardiola described it as a “sad day” following the announcement.

“In the Premier League he is one of the greatest midfielders ever to play in this country and I think in this club (there) is no doubt,” Guardiola said. “His assists, his goals, his vision in the final third, that is so difficult to replace.”

De Bruyne did not say if he would take part in the Club World Cup, which runs through June and July in the United States.

There was also no mention in the post about where he wanted to play next.

With 118 assists in the Premier League, De Bruyne is second behind Manchester United great Ryan Giggs, who provided 162, on the all-time list.

He reached that total in 280 appearances, as opposed to 632 for Giggs.

While De Bruyne will go down as one of the finest players to play for City, he could have instead spent the bulk of his career at Chelsea after joining club from Belgian team Genk in 2012. But he grew frustrated after making only two league starts and eventually moved to Wolfsburg in Germany in 2014.

A four-time Manchester City Player of the Season and a two-time Premier League Player of the Season, De Bruyne operated at a level that fellow professionals could only admire. He also finished third in the Ballon d’Or

rankings in 2022.