'I enjoyed every moment': Kevin De Bruyne reflects on trophy-laden Manchester City career as club promise statue | OneFootball

The club have promised to build a statue outside the Etihad in his honour

Kevin De Bruyne was lost for words as he reflected on his 10-year Manchester City career after playing his final home match on Tuesday night.

City romped to a decisive 3-1 victory over Bournemouth to take another step closer to qualifying for the Champions League, though De Bruyne stole the show as he waved an emotional goodbye to the Etihad Stadium, replaced with just over 20 minutes remaining. He will leave a free agent when his contract expires at the end of the season, with his next club still unconfirmed.

He leaves as a Man City legend, having won a raft of silverware in his ten years at the club, with Man City confirming his time there will be commemorated with a statue outside the Etihad.

At full-time, De Bruyne took centre stage to say goodbye to the fans, telling Sky Sports that leaving brought a ‘weird’ feeling.

Asked to open up on the emotions of the day, De Bruyne said he felt “a bit weird, I don’t know.

“It has been unbelievable to have the ten years that I had, with everything that happened, it has been an unbelievable ride, an absolute pleasure.

“I want to bring joy to people, play offensive football. I want them to have fun, and I think we had a lot of fun in these ten years.

“Obviously you win, you lose sometimes, but it was a joy working really hard to create something for this club.”

While De Bruyne took his time soaking up the moment and he was serenaded with a lengthy tribute video, it was not quite a perfect outing for him. He was presented a gift-wrapped chance to score against Bournemouth but hit the crossbar from inside the six-yard box as he shot at an open goal.

He described the gaffe as “terrible, terrible, terrible!”

He analysed the chance: “I said I just have to be there, it's gonna come. It is terrible, terrible. There are no excuses. My son is gonna be very tough on me.”

The miss was not enough to dampen the occasion, though. He addressed the packed Etihad after the match, thanking them for their support in his ten years at the club and promising not to stay away for long.

Asked for his favourite moment in a Man City shirt, he said: “Your life and career is a journey. There are ups, there are also downs, but you have to get through all the moments to enjoy it.

“Every moment I enjoyed a lot, and I learned from the bad moments. It's been amazing.

“I just wanted to do well and win, and then when you win, you want to win more. We have had five or six parades, all the moments with the teammates, there are too many to count, but it has been a pleasure.

“I will be back, but we love you and see you soon.”