- Kevin De Bruyne will leave Man City in the summer when his contract runs out
- The Belgian has scored 108 goals and won 19 trophies in his time at the Etihad
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Should Oliver Glasner leave Palace for Spurs?
Kevin De Bruyne may have had a fairytale career at Man City but he admitted that he spurned the opportunity to end his career at the Etihad in style after a ‘terrible, terrible, terrible miss’.
The Belgian legend was given a hero’s reception as he played his final home match for Pep Guardiola’s side in the 3-1 Premier League victory over Bournemouth. However, he was denied a perfect send-off by one glaring miss and an early exit after team-mate Mateo Kovacic which saw him substituted prematurely.
De Bruyne has scored 108 goals and won 19 trophies, including the Champions League, with City but will leave the club at the end of the season once his contract expires.
The 33-year-old was handed the captain’s armband after spending a decade in Manchester and fans chanted the name of one of their greatest ever players as he led the team out on Tuesday night.
And, although his moved up to third place with an assured victory, it was not quite the perfect farewell De Bruyne would have been hoping for.
First, the Belgian crashed the ball against the crossbar with a left footed strike from inside the six-yard-box after Omar Marmoush fed him in from across the box in the first-half.
Kevin De Bruyne takes the acclaim of the Etihad as he says goodbye after a decade at the club
The Belgian missed a glorious opportunity from close range on his final Etihad appearance
Mateo Kovacic is sent off for fouling Evanilson which prompted De Bruyne’s early substitution
City fans were left in stunned silence, while Guardiola clasped his hands in his head in disbelief. Cameras showed De Bruyne’s family looking astonished as his miss was replayed on the big screens.
And perfectionist De Bruyne couldn’t hide his frustration at an opportunity missed when he was interviewed after the match.
‘It was [a} terrible, terrible, terrible [miss]. There’s no excuses. My son is going to be very tough on me today,’ said De Bruyne who was joined by his family after the game for an on-pitch tribute to his career.
De Bruyne is joined by his family for a post-match celebration of his brilliant Man City career
The 33-year-old, who won 19 trophies at Man City, is hoisted into the air by his team-mates
Nevertheless, the Etihad faithful greeted the missed chance by roundly applauding their hero and it looked like De Bruyne still had plenty of time to add a finishing touch to his career at the stadium.
Those hopes were shattered in the 67th minute however when Kovacic was sent off for bringing down Evanilson as the last man.
Guardiola could not afford to be sentimental with Man City just 2-0 up and Champions League qualification on the line. And so the Spanish coach called for De Bruyne to be replaced by Nico Gonzalez much to the disappointment of the home crowd.
And so, with waves to the crowd, hugs to his team-mates and chants from the crowd, De Bruyne’s Etihad career came to an end.
Strikes from Omar Marmoush, Bernardo Silva and Gonzalez saw City climb up to third in the Premier League table.
