The quality of Kevin De Bruyne needs no introduction. Since his move to Manchester City in 2015, the Belgian has wowed millions with his vision and creativity. However, this season was far from normal, as an injury sidelined him for nearly half of it. However, the match against Newcastle reminded everyone again of his otherworldly qualities. A French legend has gone on to put the Belgian with David Beckham & Gianfranco Zola- among the best midfielders to grace the Premier League. Interestingly, all three 3 share a common trait which might have led to the opinion.
The return of Kevin De Bruyne comes at a crucial time. Erling Haaland is out injured and the Sky Blues will need their star playmaker at his best to challenge Liverpool for the title.
Kevin De Bruyne established elite status alongside Beckham and Zola, after being deemed than Messi too!
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Frank Leboeuf seems to rate Kevin De Bruyne very highly, perhaps even ahead of Messi. On the ESPN FC Show, he said, “In terms of seeing the game I would say that he’s even better than Messi.” Lebouef explained, “Messi was capable of doing something special but in long ranges, I never saw Messi giving like a 30-yard pass to somebody in the air.” The Belgian playmaker was then bracketed with 2 other iconic names. As per the Frenchman, KDB ranks alongside David Beckham, who was renowned for his crossing, and Gianfranco Zola, making them the 3 best midfield players in English Premier League history.
Interestingly, all three of the players were prolific chance creators with KDB and Beckham boasting over 200 assists in their careers. Perhaps it might be their laser-sharp vision that impressed Lebouef. He was not the only one impressed by the Manchester City ace. Pep Guardiola labeled Kevin De Bruyne as more than a special player following his influence in the Newcastle comeback.
Guardiola was super delighted with ‘legend’ KDB’s impact, after a nail-biting victory
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Guardiola seems to be proud of Kevin De Bruyne’s performance against the Magpies. He not only scored but also assisted the winner in dying moments. A delighted Guardiola said, “His tight impact from the last 30-35 minutes, you know for the goal for the assist and how many times arriving at the byline for the crosses, so isn’t a special player, he’s a legend.”Judging from the words, it seems massive credit for the turnaround goes to KDB.
Moreover, with this assist, he moves to 103 in total. Only Cesc Fabregas (111) and Ryan Giggs (162) remain ahead of him. If he overtakes them, he will likely end up as the best English Premier League midfielder for a lot more people after Frank Lebouef.
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Where do you rank the Belgian sniper amongst the best of the best? Tell us in the comments below.
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