Key events
Preamble
We’re approaching 10 years since Kevin De Bruyne left Wolfsburg for Manchester City, signed for a club-record fee of £55m. The eyebrows were raised to Ancelotti levels.
This was the guy Chelsea had let go just a year and a half earlier for £18m, his time at Stamford Bridge yielding three league appearances and not much joy under José Mourinho. He was subsequently exceptional in Germany, but could he crack it in the so-called Best League in the World?
Six Premier League medals is the answer, one of them part of a treble campaign, all sorts of individual gongs to go with them. His 420 appearances for City have returned 108 goals and 177 (!) assists, and then there’s the how: vicious passes, crosses on a string, coldly efficient in every move but still a gorgeous, joyous, eternally watchable footballer. Today he says goodbye to the Etihad as City welcome Bournemouth.
But this isn’t a testimonial. City are sixth with Champions League football still not secure, while the Cherries had their number in the reverse fixture. There’s work to do before Kev bids adieu. Kick-off’s at 8pm BST.
