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If Kevin de Bruyne is at its best, he cannot be stopped. And when Kevin de Bruyne shows his best for Manchester City, it often comes in Bernabeu.
De Bruynes big big game record, especially in the final, was disrupted by injuries to the city. His two Champions League final ended prematurely by injuries. So if you remember de Bruyne’s highest heights in the city, I can think of his Bernabeu master classes.
There was 2020 when City announced himself as a real Champions League candidate with a historical victory in Real Madrid’s back yard. De Bruyne got a goal and assisted. In 2023 he took the network to get a draw for City to achieve their unforgettable 4-0 home win.
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De Bruyne was on the bench in the 3: 3 draw last season, but the point remains. If you listed the Bruynes five city appearances, it is difficult to look out into Bernabeu beyond the journeys 2020 and 2022.
If the city is supposed to complete the impossible today and rose its 3-2 deficit of the first leg, de Bruyne may have to roll back for another legendary master class.
But it is no longer guaranteed that he will play and if City does not win, this could be his last dance for City in a really big game.
Pep Guardiola believes that City has only a percentage of going beyond Real Madrid’s second leg, and there will be no title design of the Premier League this semester. Perhaps there is a FA Cup final and there is the Club World Cup circus in the USA, but with a dwindling contract and no signs of progress in this front there are no guarantees for another game that is so big this season .
De Bruyne loves a big stage and there is no finer sight than the best player school amount of the city’s largest club in the world. However, this season is progressing in a way that raises doubts about his future past this season. He will not start talks until it fits fully again, but this fitness affects its consistency.
The Belgian did not really recover from his injury in 2023 and the flashes of his brilliance are not as common as the games that he did not affect as before. The undesirable argument for the separation in summer and lending de Bruyne grows – even if it is true that the expansion of his business is far a bad option.
The contract call from de Bruyne should also be hit with the situation of Ilkay Gundogan.
City only wanted to offer Gundogan a one -year contract with the option of a second in 2023, even if he won the title. At that time it was a controversial and unpopular attitude, but one that has proven itself as a time test – in the second year we are seconds after the FA Cup final.
Last week he admitted that the pace of the Premier League surprised him since his return of one year. Of course, part of it is overplayed due to the injury crisis, but the reluctance of the city to offer the second year is becoming increasingly relevant.
Like de Bruyne, Gundogan’s place is written and secured in the history of the city. There is an option of a second year in its current contract to start this summer, but his business is another deal that may not make sense to extend.
As much as both players have difficulty being as consistent as in their recent days, both are able to win games for City. If one or both Fire City are over Madrid, nobody will be surprised and everyone will be happy.
But while Guardiola talks about a summer in which difficult decisions have to be made and City in Madrid is exposed to a tough fight, Guardiola will choose the team that he believes that he can win the game without feelings.
He will hope -like every City fan -that there are more chances to see two real club legends on the big stage after the full -time pipe goes in Bernabeu on Wednesday evening.
You can both influence your own city futures with another star in Real Madrid’s back yard.
