After securing their first-ever Champions League quarter-final first-leg victory courtesy of a late Phil Foden winner against Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City wasted no time in announcing Kevin De Bruyne's contract extension until 2025. Here's all the reaction.
Kevin De Bruyne, who could well be the next City captain should Fernandinho part ways with the club at the end of the season, pens a deal that will see him complete a decade at the club.
KEVIN DE BRUYNE
Speaking on the announcement, the best midfielder in the world expressed his joy at the renewal citing key factors like the happiness of his family, happiness with City's style and competitiveness, and his overall happiness at the club. Speaking to the club website, the 29-year-old said:
"I could not be happier. Since joining City in 2015, I have felt at home. I love the fans, my family are settled here in Manchester and my own game has developed really well. This football club is geared for success. It offers me everything I need to maximise my performance, so signing this contract was a straightforward decision. I am playing the best football of my career and I honestly feel there is more to come. Pep and I see football in the same way. Having that relationship with a manager is so important to me because our objectives are totally aligned and we want the same things. My focus now is on ensuring we have a successful end to the current campaign. Our results and performances so far have been excellent, but we need to make sure we end the season with the silverware we deserve."
KDB has won 9 trophies at City so far, with the potential of a few more being added by the end of the current campaign. He's played 253 times for the club, scoring 64 and assisting 105.
De Bruyne spoke about the side's competitiveness and style of play, suggesting there is no better place to be, especially factoring in his family's happiness in Manchester:
"When I came here it was with big expectations and they exceeded every expectation in every part. To compete in every cup competition, every title, every Champions League, every cup - and doing it the right way, the way we play, excites me. I don’t know why I would change that."
"[My family being settled] is obviously really important. I don’t have to just think about myself – I have my wife and three kids. We have been really happy here and my kids were born here, so they are basically half Manc! They are really happy and the feeling I have with the club is so positive. There was no thought at all about switching teams, so it was fairly easy on my part. I feel proud because I’ve been here now for six years and obviously this feels like home."
"The longest time I’ve been at a club is here. To get the extension now at my age feels like a very proud moment because it means they trust me until I get really old in football terms! I feel really happy, and my family is also really proud, so that’s really nice."
Mr and Mrs De Bruyne welcomed the third addition to their family last September, their first daughter Suri.
De Bruyne spoke of continuing the next four years of his deal as the last six years of his City career have gone and helping the younger players come up as a senior figure in the squad these days:
"I hope I can maintain my level. I am confident in that. Physically I have always been okay. Obviously, you get a few injuries here and there but that happens to everybody. But I hope to maintain the same level we did the last six years, where we’ve been able to compete all the time for titles. It’s hard to keep the standard but that standard had been set for the last six years and I want to keep doing that for the next four years of this contract. I don’t want to do anything different – compete here for titles and help the team perform and help the young players become better until I finish."
KDB is racking up the individual accolades; he was PFA Player of the Year in 2020, where he also notched up the UEFA Midfielder of the Season award and the Premier League Player of the Season. In the last campaign, the Belgian collected the Premier League Playmaker award, which he also won back in the Centurions season in 17/18.
TXIKI BEGIRISTAIN
City's Director of Football, Txiki Begiristain, described the news as 'a very significant moment for this football club', adding that the midfielder over the years has developed into one of the game's elite players:
"Kevin is, without question, one of the best players in world football. His performance level has been remarkably consistent since coming to City, and in the last few years, he has developed into one of the game’s elite players. His talent is unquestionable – but he is also a consummate professional whose dedication to Manchester City during his time here has been nothing short of extraordinary. He constantly seeks to improve, and his approach is the perfect blueprint for any young player looking to carve out a career. We are delighted he is our player and I look forward to watching him during his peak years here at Manchester City."
Txiki will now look to secure extensions for the likes of John Stones, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus - perhaps also looking at improved terms for Ruben Dias.