Few football players have had as much success as Kevin De Bruyne, who won the Premier League six times with Manchester City in recent years. He is, at his core, among the best midfielders to have ever played in the English Premier League.
The talented offensive midfielder, who came from the KRC Genk academy, earned a name for himself at Werder Bremen. However, his 73-game time in Germany ended Chelsea’s patchwork tenure.
A transfer to VfL Wolfsburg was beckoning, and the rest is history because Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City was intrigued by his run of performances. Since his return to the English coast in the summer of 2015, he has been a continual source of fear.
The Drongen-born star chose his ideal starting lineup in 2020, together with two of his compatriots, Axel Witsel and Romelu Lukaku, according to Mail Online. Spoiler alert: only players from Chelsea and Manchester City made the cut.
Can you imagine being forced to select between Petr Cech, Ederson, and Thibaut Courtois? De Bruyne, who is considered to be among the greatest midfielders in Premier League history, has faced many outstanding goalkeepers throughout his career. However, he chose the latter solely because of his longevity in goal.
“In my opinion, you have to pick between Ederson, Thibaut (Courtois), and (Petr) Cech in goal. How do you make a decision? Based on his entire career and playing for 15 to 20 years, I’m going to choose Cech. After that, the rest can follow suit.
Goalie
Place
Name
Group
Plays games with De Bruyne
Goalie
Petr Cech
Chelsea
5.
Defenders John Terry, Benjamin Mendy, Vincent Kompany, and Kyle Walker
De Bruyne chose the legendary Kyle Walker, who is presently on loan at AC Milan, because of his flawless blend of speed and power. Walker has played with De Bruyne 227 times. “I would take Kyle Walker as a right-back because he is incredible, strong, and quick,” he stated.
It would be challenging to get beyond De Bruyne’s core defensive duo. Not surprisingly, one of his choices was former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany. The two participated in 90 different games together, both in club and national settings, and they took home numerous awards.
Conversely, during his turbulent time at Chelsea in west London, De Bruyne only played with John Terry seven times, but that was all that was required. De Bruyne chose the former Blues captain over Toby Alderweireld, a formidable presence at the back when he was at his best.
“Centre-back Vinny (Vincent Kompany) would be my choice. Is he a manager or does he still count as a player? I could pick Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, John Terry, or (Aymeric) Laporte. John Terry, most likely, if you pursue a career.
De Bruyne selected Benjamin Mendy on the left side of the back four. He remarked of the Frenchman, with whom the Belgian world-beater has played 48 times, “I think (Benjamin) Mendy is the best and the craziest left-back.”
Protectors
Place
Name
Group
Plays games with De Bruyne
The right back
Walker, Kyle
City of Manchester
227
Back Center
Kompany, Vincent
Belgium and Manchester City
90
Back Center
Terry, John
Chelsea
7.
Left Rear
Mendy, Benjamin
City of Manchester
48
David Silva, Frank Lampard, and Fernandinho are midfielders.
De Bruyne waxed poetic about Fernandinho, who played for the Etihad Stadium for nine years, saying that he knows what it takes to pull the strings in the middle of the park and hold down the fort at the fulcrum of his three-man midfield constellation.
Fernandinho is the most underappreciated player. About his engine room partner of 211 outings, he remarked, “Many people don’t know what he does unless you play with him.” It’s astounding what he does, and he’s 35 (really 34) too!
De Bruyne selected Manchester City icon David Silva and Chelsea royalty Frank Lampard ahead of the ground-eating Brazilian. “I would take David Silva and (Frank) Lampard, two guys I played with for a few minutes,” he said of the aforementioned pair. offensive athletes.
One of the best box-crashers in the history of the English Premier League is Lampard. He was prone to being late, yet he was able to catch passes and score goals somewhat easily. The former footballer turned tactician scored goals with ease.
Regardless of your club’s inclinations, Silva’s genius is just astounding. The Spanish playmaker, who is considered to be among the best Premier League players of all time, was a master magician. De Bruyne had the pleasure of playing alongside him 144 times.
Players in the middle
Place
Name
Group
Plays games with De Bruyne
CDM
Fernandinho
City of Manchester
211
CM
Lampard, Frank
Chelsea
7.
CM
Silva, David
City of Manchester
144
Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, and Eden Hazard are forwards.
As a forward who has spent his whole career feeding balls through the eye of a needle, De Bruyne, 33, is well aware of what it takes to latch onto passes and complete a well-executed play that is frequently planned by the Belgian.
The unavoidable Eden Hazard, the goal-scoring Sergio Aguero, and the cunning Raheem Sterling were the three players De Bruyne chose for his three-man front line: “I have to choose Eden (Hazard), Kun (Sergio Aguero), and Raheem (Sterling).”
Hazard, a former Chelsea player, fills his right-wing spot and was De Bruyne’s international partner. He was sometimes an irresistible force who was as smooth as he was strong, which is why his English career is frequently compared to that of Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah.
Aguero, who left Manchester City in the summer of 2021 at the top of the team’s all-time top goalscorer charts (260 goals in 390 games), carried a sense of inevitability, and De Bruyne, of all people, knew it. Despite his decline after leaving Manchester City, Kingston-born Sterling is one of the greatest wingers in Premier League history; in the Englishman’s prime, you’d do well to find a deadlier option on the flank. De Bruyne had the pleasure of finding him 243 times, so he is aware of his talent.
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