Pep Guardiola says Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne is the “second-best” passer he has worked with – after Argentine great Lionel Messi.
Guardiola holds the departing Belgian in high esteem, ahead of the likes of other pass-masters he has managed such as Andres Iniesta and Xavi at Barcelona, and former City midfielder David Silva.
De Bruyne announced last month he will leave City after 10 years when his contract expires at the end of the season, with his final home game against Bournemouth on Tuesday (kick-off 20:00 BST).
Guardiola said it would be “difficult to find” another player who passed the ball like De Bruyne and hailed him as “one of the best three” he has ever seen, before swiftly changing his mind.
“One is Messi,” said Guardiola. “And the other two, let me think about it…OK, let me put Kevin second.”
He added: “Messi is the best I have ever seen because Messi has done it really, really close to the box but Kevin is there. It’s just the stats, the goals, the assists, that he provides to the team in the final third and the talent.
“That is unique, that is why he has been one of the best players this club has had in the whole history. These are big, big words because he has been a special player.”
