Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said Kevin De Bruyne is “one of the best players in the history of the Premier League” after the 33-year-old announced he will leave Manchester City at the end of this season.
Arteta, who spent three years as a coach at City from 2016 to 2019 before taking over at Arsenal, said: “I don’t know if he’s the one, the two or the three, but for me he’s one of the best players in the history of the Premier League.
“I’ve never seen, I’ve never played with a player that can execute that precisely at high speed. He can be running at 33, 34 kilometres an hour and play the ball 30 metres through two people to the perfect spot. I haven’t seen anybody else do that at that pace.”
De Bruyne, 33, is out of contract at the end of June and has struggled to make an impact this season. In his 31 games, of which only 19 have been as a starter, the Belgian has contributed four goals and seven assists.
However, since joining City from Wolfsburg in 2015, he has helped them win six Premier League titles, as well as their maiden Champions League trophy in 2023, and has consistently been one of the best players in the division.
In 2020, The Athletic’s writers voted him No 21 in our list of the 60 greatest Premier League players ever, but he has enjoyed further success since then. So, where does he sit now in the list of greatest Premier League players ever?