It will be emotional to see De Bruyne go, says Haaland | OneFootball

Erling Haaland expects it to be emotional when the time comes to say farewell to Kevin De Bruyne.

De Bruyne will leave City this summer after 10 incredible years at the Etihad Stadium, including three in the same team as Haaland.

The pair struck up an instant connection, with De Bruyne supplying Haaland on 19 occasions in the Premier League in their first two seasons together.

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That was nine more than any other player had teed up a team-mate in the English top-flight over that period.

As De Bruyne prepares for pastures new, Haaland has reflected on the legacy of the talismanic midfielder throughout a glittering, trophy-laden decade but reiterated that they will be focused on finishing on a high.

“It’s been a pleasure to play with him. Hopefully in the last couple of games we’re going to have a really good time,” he began.

“We clicked straight away from the first second and it’s going to be emotional when a good friend leaves. Maybe the best player ever to play for City – one of the best to play in the Premier League as well.

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“Hopefully we can make it a good one in the last few weeks. You really can’t replace a player like him because he’s got something so special with the way he puts the ball into the box.

“You can see many of my goals are assisted by him and some of them have been ridiculous. We have to make the best out of it and give him a good farewell.”

The pair will be hoping to play their part in Saturday’s FA Cup final against we face Crystal Palace at Wembley.

De Bruyne will be seeking a 20th trophy as a City player, with Haaland aiming for his eighth in just three seasons.

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While City may not have reached the levels of recent campaigns over this term, Haaland insisted it’s vital for the Blues to go all out for silverware this weekend.

He also made it clear how special the FA Cup – especially the final under Wembley’s iconic arch - remains.

“Of course it’s important to win it,” he stated.

“We’ll do everything we can to finish strong and hopefully win it. It’s a special trophy and I’ll do everything I can to win it again.

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“It’s really impressive to see how many times Pep has taken City to Wembley – it’s a difficult thing to do.

“To be here for the third time in a row is amazing and hopefully we can win it again. I’ve watched many finals, but I’ve been to Wembley as a supporter of City, and I’ve won it as well.

“It’s really special to go to Wembley. You always know it’s a big game when you play at Wembley.

“[Winning the FA Cup in 2023] was really special – especially because it was part of the treble winning season. It made it even more special.

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“It was also my first season too, so it was special, and it always is.

“I remember my father telling me how appreciated the FA Cup is in this country and I understood that when I won it.

Standing between us and an eighth FA Cup in our history are Oliver Glasner’s Palace.

The Eagles have enjoyed an excellent second half of the campaign, climbing to 12th in the Premier League and seeing off the likes of Fulham and Aston Villa to reach just a third FA Cup final in their history.

Haaland knows no-one at City will underestimate our opponents when the whistle goes on Saturday afternoon.

“I think they are really good. When you are in the FA Cup Final, you are doing something right and winning games in a row which isn’t easy,” he said.

“They are a solid team and a difficult one to play against with good individual quality.

“They have lots of good players so it’s going to be a difficult game. Eze is an amazing player, and I really like him.

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“I like the centre-backs as well, their defence is really good.

“They have lots of different special and to get to the FA Cup Final, you have to have something special, and they have that. We have to play at our best to be able to hopefully win it.”

FA Cup final app coverage

Our official Man City app allows you to follow all of the action from Wembley in one place.

Minute-by-minute text updates will begin in our Matchday Centre two hours before kick-off, while our Matchday Live show will begin at around 15:15 (UK).

Michael Brown and Andy Morrison will be the guests on the latest Matchday Live show, offering their expert insight before, during and after the action.

During the game, you can also listen to live audio commentary from Alistair Mann (via CITY+), while our text commentary continues.

Make sure to have push notifications turned on as well, so you can be alerted to key moments in the action, including goals, red cards and the team news.

Both a shortened and extended highlights package can be accessed from 12:00 (UK) on Sunday 18 May, as well as a full-match replay (via CITY+).