Yahoo Sports 400 and counting: De Bruyne’s most memorable City games so far
Kevin De Bruyne has reached the latest milestone of a magnificent City career.
With today's game against West Ham, the brilliant Belgian playmaker will have played for City 400 times since his arrival in the summer of 2015.
During those nine and a half years, he has become one of the most decorated players in our history and celebrated as one of the finest midfielders ever to grace the Premier League.
A creative tour de force, De Bruyne is simply unstoppable when he’s fit and firing.
That’s why he’s one of only 19 men to score 100 goals for City and the first midfielder since Colin Bell to do so, while also smashing Premier League assist records.
Here we look back at some of the games that have defined De Bruyne’s City stint so far…
City 1-0 PSG, April 2016
De Bruyne arrived at City after four games of the new Premier League campaign as the reigning Bundesliga Player of the Year.
He’d scored 16 goals in 51 games for Wolfsburg in 2014/15 so was no stranger to finding the back of the net at all.
WATCH: Classic highlights | City 1-0 PSG
It was in this tight, tense Champions League quarter-final where he scored the goals that are most remembered from this campaign.
City reached the last four for the first time in our history thanks to a 3-2 aggregate victory over Paris Saint-Germain, with De Bruyne scoring in each leg.
He opened the scoring in Paris as we drew 2-2 before a beautiful curled finish proved the only strike of the game at the Etihad six days later.
Chelsea 0-1 City, September 2017
The Belgian’s first Premier League title came as a central figure in a team now in Guardiola’s image.
WATCH: Chelsea v City: Extended highlights
It took seven matches for his first Premier League goal to arrive but when it did it was pivotal.
City were all over reigning champions Chelsea in a seismic tussle at Stamford Bridge but it was De Bruyne’s left-footed piledriver beyond Thibaut Courtois that sealed the victory and had City fans truly believing we were on for something special.
Southampton 0-1 City, May 2018
One pass to make history.
With the title already wrapped up well in advance of the final day of the season, we needed a win on the south coast to become the first side ever to pick up 100 points in a campaign.
WATCH: Centurions! Southampton v City extended highlights
The Saints frustrated us for 90 minutes before De Bruyne sent a ball over the top for Gabriel Jesus to latch on to and finish, sparking pandemonium.
City 4-1 Manchester United, March 2022
A rare campaign in which his goal tally exceeded his assists, De Bruyne was the Club’s leading scorer in our successful Premier League title defence in 2021/22.
WATCH: City 4-1 United: Extended highlights
A brace in this home thrashing of our biggest rivals at the race for the title cranked up a notch stood out immediately.
First up he met Bernardo Silva’s cut back with a cushioned left footed finish before ending a frantic pinball in the box by hammering our second in.
Wolves 1-5 City, May 2022
De Bruyne hit four stunning strikes in this one-man demolition of Wolves as we neared the title.
The first came as he sprinted beyond Bernardo Silva and into the box, receiving a pass that he hammered across goal first time with his left foot.
WATCH: Wolves 1-5 City: Extended highlights
He then reacted quickest to a loose ball on the edge of the box to double his tally before driving at the box with the ball at his feet and finding the bottom corner to seal his hat-trick in 24 minutes.
His special night was wrapped up with a poacher’s finish for a fourth.
City 4-1 Arsenal, April 2023
Having already scored a brilliant and important lob at Arsenal a few weeks earlier, De Bruyne this time put the title challengers to the sword at home.
WATCH: City 4-1 Arsenal: Brief highlights
His first goal was a powerful, determined run at the heart of the Gunners defence before hitting a daisy cutter from more than 20 yards that Aaron Ramsdale was powerless to resist.
The second came from a cushioned free-kick the Belgian sent into the box for Stones to nod home before he added the third himself as we dealt a crushing blow in the title race.
Real Madrid 1-1 City, May 2023
This was a game of two rockets. First, Vinicius Junior put Real Madrid up and it seemed we would struggle to suppress the giants in their own back yard.
WATCH: Real Madrid 1-1 City: Champions League highlights
Instead, De Bruyne stepped forward and outdid the Brazilian with a hit that no goalkeeper would ever have saved.
After doing so, a clearly emotional and exhausted De Bruyne sunk to knees in sheer pride at what he had done.
A battling result that night set up the special 4-0 demolition that would follow at the Etihad.
Newcastle 2-3 City, January 2024
After playing a crucial role in our run to an historic Treble, the next season couldn’t have started much worse for De Bruyne.
The Belgian was forced off in our Premier League opener with Burnley and missed five months of action.
WATCH: Newcastle 2-3 City: Extended highlights
He was re-introduced at St James’ Park with City trailing the energetic Magpies.
He reminded us all what we had been missing with a goal and a sumptuous assist for Oscar Bobb to turn the game on its head in the closing stages.
Crystal Palace 2-4 City, April 2024
For all that De Bruyne prefers to assist his team-mates, his goal record for a midfielder is outstanding.
That he became the first midfielder since Colin Bell to reach 100 City goals in this game is testament to that.
WATCH: Extended highlights: Crystal Palace 2-4 City
And what a pair of strikes it was. The first, a curling effort from a narrow angle and the second, powered through the bodies in front of him.
The milestone came in his 372nd appearance for the Club, having already amassed 166 assists across all competitions.
City 3-0 Nottingham Forest, December 2024
Another injury-hit start to the season was ended when De Bruyne returned to the starting lineup and played a starring role in this one.
A struggling City needed inspiration and turned to the man who has provided it so often throughout his time at the Etihad for these three points.
WATCH: City 3-0 Nottingham Forest: Extended highlights
He scored the first after a bright start by heading Ilkay Gundogan’s cross and then added the second with a curling strike from the edge of the Forest box.
Proof that class is permanent.
Congratulations to Kevin on reaching 400 games at Manchester City!
