Since arriving at Manchester City in 2015, the ‘£50million’ flop has contributed a goal or assist every 116 minutes and collected 11 team trophies.
Individually, De Bruyne has won three City Player of the Season awards, two PFA Player of the Year awards, two Premier League Playmaker Awards and last season’s Premier League Player of the Season.
He was named the 2019/20 Champions League Midfielder of the Season, and was named in the UEFA Team of the Decade for 2011-20 along with four consecutive inclusions in the Champions League squad of the season.
So it was no surprise to see De Bruyne ranked eighth in the final Ballon d’Or standings this week for 2021 — the highest City player and with only Chelsea pair Jorginho and N’Golo Kante higher as midfielders.
Just like the decision to hand Lionel Messi his seventh Ballon d’Or because he remains the unquestionable best footballer in the world, it’s fair to rank De Bruyne so high because he’s the best footballer at City. Just like his PFA award last season was justifiable because he has been the best player in the league for two years.
On form, though, there are valid arguments to say De Bruyne hasn’t been the best City player on form in the last 12 months.
During City’s run to the Premier League title and Champions League final, De Bruyne was relentless, but this season especially, he has felt the effects of a tough summer with Belgium and has struggled to find his rhythm back at City.
Perhaps the biggest indicator of those struggles — which he puts down to still playing through pain from his various injury setbacks since the Champions League final — has been his return of assists.
For five of the six seasons since his arrival at City, De Bruyne has comfortably been City’s best creator, topping 20 assists on three occasions. In all he has provided 108 goals for teammates in just 276 outings — once every 192 minutes. Only in 2018/19, where he spent half the season out injured, was he beaten in the club’s assists rankings.
As the season approaches the halfway point this year, though, it will take a remarkable run for him to reclaim his position as City’s most creative force for 2021/22.
De Bruyne has just one assist in 14 appearances this season, and is six shy of current assist-leader Gabriel Jesus, who is impressing on the wing this season. Just behind the Brazilian is Joao Cancelo on six assists.
In De Bruyne’s absence at times this season, it has been Jesus’ crosses from the right, and Cancelo’s quarterback balls into the box from left-back that have been replacing the Belgian’s chances.
This season, Jesus is averaging an assist every 136 minutes (or one every 2.2 games), while Cancelo’s rate is 290 minutes (one every 3.5 appearances). De Bruyne will need to restore his rate from his previous five seasons to have any hope of catching them, effectively registering two for every assist his teammates provide.
In the Premier League, only Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold have more assists than Jesus’ six, though only three of Cancelo’s have been in the league. If Jesus keeps it up, the Playmaker Award could be coming back to City, but not with De Bruyne.
Of course, if the goals are coming, Pep Guardiola won’t mind who scores and assists them. And if City end up with another trophy or two at the end of the season but no individual accolades, not a single player will be found complaining. Having more players to carry De Bruyne’s creative responsibilities is far more a positive thing than a negative.
De Bruyne will also point towards the saying that form is temporary and class is permanent — both regarding his own record this season and the record of Jesus and Cancelo.
It’s a problem City won’t be too concerned about, but De Bruyne may have to relinquish his title of most creative player in the squad for the first time.
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