Kevin De Bruyne has announced he is leaving Manchester City at the end of the season.
The club’s captain said “these will be my final months as a Manchester City player” in a post on social media.
De Bruyne, whose deal expires in the summer, signed for City in 2015 from Wolfsburg for a fee of £54.5m, scoring 106 goals in 413 matches in a trophy-laden decade at the club.
The 33-year-old will go down as one of the Premier League’s greatest players after winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five Carabao Cups and the Champions League in an unprecedented period of success for City.
De Bruyne was also part of Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning team in 2022/23.
Guardiola described it as a sad day to see De Bruyne’s exit confirmed and said he “is one of the greatest” this country has ever seen.
City say plans will now be drawn up “to deliver a fitting tribute and farewell” for De Bruyne, who they describe as a “global icon of the game”.
De Bruyne thanked the City fans in his departure announcement, but is yet to provide any clarity on what the future holds for him.
The City midfielder’s contract will expire at the end of June which is midway through this summer’s Club World Cup. It is unclear at this stage if that will extend his deal for a short period to have his farewell in the USA.
“Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes,” De Bruyne’s farewell post went on to read. “That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first.
“Football led me to all of you – and to this city. Chasing my dream, not knowing this period would change my life.
“This city. This club. These people… gave me everything. I had no choice but to give everything back! And guess what – we won everything.”
Analysis: What next for Man City great De Bruyne?
Sky Sports News’ Ben Ransom:
“There’s no doubt De Bruyne will be remembered as one of the true Manchester City greats. That decade has been glittering with six Premier League titles. Winning the Champions League as part of that treble team will forever have his name in the history books.
“He is a legend of Manchester City. A few others have statues around the Etihad and you’d imagine that Kevin De Bruyne may well get one at some point in the future.
“There’s been a lot of speculation [about where he will go next] and I think the two most likely destinations would be either Saudi Arabia or the MLS. They’re both leagues where clubs have expressed interest to De Bruyne and to his people.
“He doesn’t say he’s retiring, he talks about this being an incredible chapter of success here in England. But you do feel he’s probably got one last throw of the dice, which you imagine would still be relatively lucrative in either Saudi Arabia or the MLS, because of the name and what he’s achieved on a global scale.
“From Kevin’s point of view, you can sense the frustration in him. I think back to that Champions League final when he got injured and had to go off, to the struggles he’s had with injury just to get fit for that and the struggles he’s had since.
“He’s missed large parts of the season and when he has played, it has felt a bit stop-start and you’ve seen getting frustrated at himself almost, just knowing that perhaps he doesn’t quite have that half-yard of pace that he did a few years back.
“The fact he’s kept breaking down, not been able to have those consistent level of matches, minutes, performances, perhaps that’s behind this decision.”
Your reaction to De Bruyne’s announcement
Ebz: If anyone deserves to have a number retired it’s KDB. He deserves to be the last ever #17!
AshEddon: Genuinely a Premier League Hall of Fame career. It pains me as a Man Utd fan to say but he is arguably the greatest midfielder to have played in the Premier League. He should have had a Ballon d’Or by now.
LFCDAVE: As a Liverpool fan, KDB is the one that always scared me the most. Outside of Steven Gerrard, the best central midfielder to have played in the Premie League. Irreplaceable. City will suffer, as they have this season, without him.
Joe: I don’t think we have seen a more complete midfielder in Premier League history. He could pass a ball over any distance with both feet exceptionally well. His assist collection is a joke and he was the ultimate big game player, an all-time great.
Simon: Man City paid £54m for him 10 years ago! Looking back at what he has achieved it’s a complete bargain. What a player!