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01/07/2025

Opta Special – KDB’s career in stats

On 12 June 2025 it was announced that Kevin De Bruyne would be joining Napoli after ten seasons at Manchester City. The Belgian midfielder leaves the Citizens as a club legend, having racked up 285 Premier League appearances for the club – more than anyone else except David Silva (309).

De Bruyne played 422 games for Manchester City in all competitions, having a hand in 278 goals (108 scored, 170 assisted), which averages out at 0.66 goal involvements per match.

During his spell at the Etihad (from 30 August 2015), he played more Premier League matches (285) than any other City player and more than all other midfielders except James Ward-Prowse (328) in the same period.

In the last ten seasons KDB was the midfielder who scored the most Premier League goals (72) and had the most shots – both overall (683) and on target (241). Thanks to his frequent runs into the box, he was the midfielder with the second most touches in the opposition area.

The Belgian scored more than once in the same Premier League game on eight occasions for Manchester City. Phil Foden (with ten) is the only midfielder to have recorded more doubles (or more) in the English top flight in the last decade.

On one of those eight occasions, De Bruyne helped himself to no fewer than four goals: a 5-1 mauling of Wolves at Molineux Stadium on 11 May 2022. Only four other midfielders in Premier League history have managed a four-goal haul.

The Belgian is not just a lethal finisher: he is blessed with shooting prowess in both feet. Over the last ten Premier League seasons, he is the only midfielder to have scored at least 20 goals with both his right and his left foot.

De Bruyne is particularly deadly from long range. In the last decade, no midfielder in the top five European leagues has scored more goals from outside the box in all competitions than his tally of 42.

Considering the top five European leagues over the last ten years, only Hakan Calhanoglu has had more shots on target from outside the box (148) than the new Napoli signing (139) among midfielders.

Kevin De Bruyne also poses a threat from free kicks, and during his time in Manchester he attempted 122 direct free kicks – at least 81 more than any of his team-mates. The only Premier League midfielders to have scored more goals from direct free kicks than De Bruyne's eight are James Ward-Prowse (19) and James Maddison (11) in all competitions.

Despite these impressive goal-scoring stats, De Bruyne's real forte is providing assists, as he himself has declared. He ranks second in the all-time Premier League rankings (since 1992/93) for assists provided with 119, behind Ryan Giggs (162).

This altruistic streak really came to the fore in the 2019/20 Premier League campaign, when he laid on no fewer than 20 assists for team-mates – equalling the record set by Thierry Henry in 2002/23.

Given the above, it will come as no surprise that the Belgian recorded more assists in all competitions than any other player in the top five European leagues during his ten-year spell with the Citizens: 170, which is at least 23 more than anyone else.

In that same decade (2015-2025), the Belgian reached double figures for assists in six different Premier League seasons; in the top five European leagues, Mohamed Salah is the only player to have managed ten or more assists on more occasions.

A TROPHY-LADEN CAREER

Besides the personal stats and achievements, Kevin De Bruyne has also amassed a vast collection of trophies with City, Wolfsburg and Genk, including during a perfect treble season in 2023 (Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League).

Kevin De Bruyne Honours List

FIFA Club World Cup Manchester City 2024

UEFA Champions League Manchester City 2022/23

FA Cup Manchester City 2023

FA Cup Manchester City 2019

Community Shield Manchester City 2024/25

Community Shield Manchester City 2019/20

Community Shield Manchester City 2018/19

Premier League Manchester City 2023/24

Premier League Manchester City 2022/23

Premier League Manchester City 2021/22

Premier League Manchester City 2020/21

Premier League Manchester City 2018/19

Premier League Manchester City 2017/18

English Football League Cup Manchester City 2021

English Football League Cup Manchester City 2020

English Football League Cup Manchester City 2019

English Football League Cup Manchester City 2018

English Football League Cup Manchester City 2016

German Super Cup Wolfsburg 2015/16

DFB - Pokal Wolfsburg 2014/15

Belgian Super Cup Genk 2011/12

Jupiler Pro League Genk 2010/11

Belgian Cup Genk 2009

De Bruyne

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