A tearful Kevin De Bruyne bade farewell to Manchester City fans as he said he hoped they would remember him “with joy”.The Belgian made his 142nd and final home appearance for the club in Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth, coming within inches of capping it with a goal when he hit the crossbar in the first half, before an emotional on-field presentation after the match.Pep Guardiola could be seen crying too as videos of tributes from former team-mates including Sergio Aguero, Fernandinho, and Vincent Kompany, club great Mike Summerbee and admirers including Thierry Henry were played on the big screen.An emotional Pep Guardiola as Kevin De Bruyne bids farewell to his home for the past 10 seasons 💙#MCIBOU pic.twitter.com/TejLdioFDt— Premier League (@premierleague) May 20, 2025City players and staff had lined up to give De Bruyne a guard of honour as he walked out on to the pitch alongside his wife Michele and their three children, and the 33-year-old struggled to compose himself when first asked to speak. “Manchester is home,” De Bruyne said. “Manchester is where these little kids were born. I came here with my wife Michele and we didn’t expect to be here 10 years, to do what we have done as a club, with the supporters, my team-mates. “We’ve won everything. We’ve made the club bigger and now they’re going to take over.”De Bruyne has scored 108 goals in 421 City appearances, the first City midfielder since Colin Bell to hit triple figures, while also piling up 177 assists.During his 10-year stay, De Bruyne became City’s most successful player, winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, the Champions League, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup.“I wanted to play with creativity, I wanted to play with passion,” he said. “I wanted to enjoy football and I hope, I think, everybody enjoyed it. Everybody pushed me so hard from the inside and outside the club to be the best version of myself.“These guys you see on the screen and these guys in front of me
Manchester City 3-1 Bournemouth: Kevin De Bruyne’s farewell tour was cut short by Mateo Kovacic’s red card but the hosts wrapped up all three points to move to third
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