De bruyne's 'future' comment and guardiola tears sum up what man city do best

KEVIN DE BRUYNE'S FINAL WORDS AT THE ETIHAD SHOW WHY MANCHESTER CITY ARE SO GOOD AT KNOWING THE RIGHT TIME TO MOVE ON FROM THEIR CLUB LEGENDS. 11:00, 21 May 2025 Pep Guardiola had tears

in his eyes when Sergio Aguero left Manchester City, and again when the Blues finally won the Champions League in Istanbul. He even shed a tear at Jurgen Klopp's departure from

Liverpool, but he rarely displays this level of emotion apart from extraordinary occasions. So it was fitting that Guardiola teared up when Kevin De Bruyne took the mic at the Etihad Stadium

on Tuesday night, the Belgian himself looking emotional as his sons sent messages of how proud they are of their dad on the big screen. "It's not about providing goals and

assists, but the connection with the way you play, how you provide for the people you love," Guardiola said afterwards. "I'm pretty sure when Kevin arrives he wasn't a

City fan. Now he is and I'm sure he's a City fan forever." De Bruyne himself echoed those sentiments when he managed to put those emotions into words with a message to the

City fans on the pitch. "Manchester is home, Manchester is where these little kids were born," he said. "I came here with my wife, Michele, to stay for a long time, we

didn't expect to be here 10 years. To do what we've done as a club, supporters, teammates we've won everything." With every pause in De Bruyne's speech came

rapturous applause from the fans who sang that they still want him to stay. Article continues below "I wanted to play with creativity, I wanted to play with passion. I wanted to enjoy

football and I hope everyone enjoyed it," he continued. Another huge cheer. He didn't want a big fanfare but he deserved one and City struck the balance well. "Everybody has

pushed me so hard inside and outside the club to be the best version of myself and these guys, everybody we see on the screen and these guys in front of me have made me better than I was

before." The big screen messages came from City legends, each getting a rousing reception as they appeared on the video as if they were in the stadium. Sergio Aguero, Fernandinho, Joe

Hart, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany. (Guardiola dug out Mahrez in his press conference for his 'disaster outfit' - a

sleeveless NBA jersey). Each face was more popular than the last, and each have the same thing in common. They all left at the right time, with City always putting the club first. A statue

was confirmed for De Bruyne so he will be immortalised outside the Etihad Stadium. "It means I will always be part of this club," he said on the pitch. "I always represent a

small piece of that and whenever I come back with these guys and with family and friends I will be able to see myself standing around the stadium. I will always be here. We'll be back

for sure soon." De Bruyne might not be leaving on his own terms but there is no acrimonious exit. He took in every last drop of his farewell lap of honour and didn't want to leave,

stepping back onto the pitch after his teammates had thrown him up in the air, ensuring he could walk down the tunnel one last time with his wife and three children. Marie Bell, wife of the

great Colin Bell, and his son Jon, gave the De Bruyne family a lifelong season ticket before the two families posed for a photo. The De Bruyne's will get the same red carpet treatment

the Bells receive and when they do take up their seats, De Bruyne expects to see more success, too. "To do what we've done as a club, supporters, teammates we've won

everything. We made the city, the club bigger and now they're going to take over," he predicted. "I think the best way to describe my life with my wife and my three kids is

we've fit in perfectly. We understand where the club has come to and why the club means a lot to a lot of people. Together we've built a big future for you guys, for the club to

perform the way this club will perform. "I know there's been a bit of a tough year for us but I think the team deserves all the support from you guys. I know they're pushing

really hard and this team will be back next year pushing for all the titles, so they deserve this." And finally, the last word, a little joke from the deadpan king, referencing one of

his outbursts of years ago caught on a documentary camera. "I think after 10 years it was about time somebody let me talk a bit and it's time to say goodbye," he smiled to

laughter around the Etihad. "I will be back but we love you and see you soon." And with that, De Bruyne left the Etihad having left everything on the pitch. The decision to let him

go was difficult, but ultimately the right one and they honoured him in the right way. That's why De Bruyne is so confident more success is around the corner. _---_ _Here at the

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