Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola ranks Kevin De Bruyne as he looks ahead of Manchester derby
05/04/2025 shot 04/04/2025
CGA, Manchester, UK
05/04/2025 shot 04/04/2025
CGA, Manchester, UK
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00:00Do you think Kevin is a bit of a dying breed in the way that he plays?
00:06There doesn't seem to be many players that play in the same way that Kevin does these days.
00:12If you have... Sorry.
00:15The way that Kevin plays the game, there doesn't seem to be that many players
00:21now that play in a similar way. It's quite unique.
00:25The vision in the final third, but not just the final third.
00:30The kilometres he runs, and many things.
00:34So at the end he's injured, and the last year and a half was a lot of injuries,
00:40because he gave everything for that club.
00:42So you don't give that injury, that surgery in the hamstrings,
00:45and today in modern football it happens quite often, unfortunately.
00:49But every time, look against Arsenal again, Gabriel injured for the surgery.
00:53How many Arsenal have injuries in the hamstring?
00:55Never happened before, and happened here as well.
00:58So the reason why you know that, and it happened because he has done everything.
01:07Everything he had in his body, in his mind, he has done it.
01:10So there's no doubt about that.
01:12With the legends of the club in the past, you have managed to replace all of them,
01:19but is this one a little bit different in the sense that it's very difficult
01:23to find someone that replicates exactly what De Bruyne does?
01:28The club has to move forward, move on, and of course replicate these numbers
01:34and these kind of things is so difficult.
01:38But yeah, and other qualities and other things we have to find,
01:43and we'll see how the squad finishes at the end of the season,
01:46and he's the only player that finishes, you know, contract.
01:49The rest is still under contract, so still many things.
01:54The club or myself, we don't decide yet exactly.
01:58What do you have to do?
02:00But of course it's difficult.
02:03People say, okay, Erling came, you know, Erling came to replace Sergio.
02:10Sergio was irreplaceable for many things, because it's not about the goals,
02:13it was the football.
02:15It's nice when there's a motion, when you can give something for the people,
02:18for the football, the fans, of course Man City, but for the other ones.
02:21And Sergio gave something that is unique, like Erling will be unique.
02:25Sergio scored the most important moment of the club in history,
02:29you know, and the goal in that moment against everybody knows,
02:34so it's Quince Paranja, so I'm sorry.
02:37So these things cannot be substituted.
02:41It's so important, and saved by these type of players.
02:46For the club, it's so difficult, so difficult,
02:49because you want to, I would love to be eternal here, you know that?
02:52And Sergio Eterno, and now Kevin, and everything.
02:56Because there are a lot of connections, there are a lot of things that believe.
02:59There are a lot, especially the bad moments, you know,
03:04how again they're back, and next season again, and again, and again.
03:07And saved by this connection and this relation for many years,
03:10not just for the managers, you know, for the mates, for the staff,
03:13background staff, for the fans, for even the journalists.
03:17It's not easy, but it happened a long time ago in England,
03:20and not in every country, there are players that are unique,
03:22that represent what the club wants to be, and Kevin is one of them.
03:26And United has its own players, and Arsenal has its own players,
03:29Liverpool has its own players, and that is what it's about,
03:31and the people remember him.
03:32Now it's a little bit of a shock, you know, for the public,
03:35but people remember that, oh, how blessed, you know, or happy,
03:40or I don't know the adjective you have to use to see this type of player
03:45for many, many years and give us absolutely everything.
03:47And that is all we can be grateful for, you know?
03:50The club gave everything to him, I think expressed perfectly,
03:54but he gave everything to us, and that is what it's about, you know?
03:58And, yeah, at the end it will be so nice, you know?
04:02I will remember personally my period here,
04:06always Kevin will be there in my memory, so, for this many years,
04:09and it cannot be forgotten, and even in the bad moments that we had,
04:13in the good moments, the people say,
04:15now I remember him, it was a fairytale, everything.
04:18Of course not, but not even with the players that are not here anymore.
04:21So, of course, I had to take a decision, the club had to take a decision,
04:24it's not easy for anyone.
04:27But, in the balance, it has been extraordinary, it has been so nice.
04:33Me as a dad, we've been there, expecting bowling like Kevin,
04:35I was like, oh, something's going to happen, it ain't happened.
04:38And after goal, I can turn around, go in my box and see my family there
04:41and celebrate because Kevin made something.
04:43How many times has it happened?
04:45So that's why I'm incredibly grateful, and sad at the same time,
04:48because it's difficult to think, OK, it will be over in two months.
04:55Hi Pep, so you say it will be very hard to say goodbye,
04:57and I know you can be quite sentimental at times,
04:59will you sit down with Kevin on his final day and, you know,
05:03tell him what he's done for this club and what he's done for you?
05:06We have done it recently, if he had to do it, I would do it,
05:09but we'll not miss something like it, it's not natural, I would say.
05:13So, he knows already from my side, I think for the club,
05:19you know, for the club and for my chairman, for everyone,
05:22that, you know, how good it has been.
05:27And obviously you've seen many legends in the past,
05:30do you ever give them a gift as a departing present or anything like that?
05:33Present?
05:34Yeah, a bottle of wine for Kevin?
05:37I don't know, me personally or the club?
05:40You personally?
05:41You.
05:44Yeah, let me think about it, I invited him to dinner recently,
05:47so maybe in the future, I don't know, I didn't think about that.
05:56Hi Pep, knowing Kevin as you do, how determined will he be
05:59to make sure he finishes on a high note, to make sure he finishes on a high?
06:05This time?
06:06Yeah.
06:07Yeah, listen, I'm pretty sure he's committed, you know,
06:12to achieve the last important thing, the FA Cup semi-finals,
06:15to reach the final and especially qualify for the Champions League,
06:20of course he's really committed, that's for sure.
06:23And with the decision, Pep, did he come to you with it,
06:25or did you tell him, you agreed with it, presumably,
06:29when the decision was made, did he instigate it or did the club instigate it?
06:32No, the decision has been made for the club.
06:35And the club is the club.
06:37Me, Chiqui and the club, so this is what it is.
06:46Pep, you're playing some team called Manchester United on Sunday,
06:49so maybe we should ask a question about Manchester United.
06:54Is there a sense that you need to win,
06:56because the last two defeats were quite painful for you,
07:00when the December came and the FA Cup final, is there?
07:04Any motivation to try and restore the balance, sir?
07:07I forget the good moments and bad moments quick.
07:11So, when we played against them, we were not at our best,
07:16it was the way we...
07:17Of course, we lost, we were so disappointed in the last minutes
07:19when the game was almost over, but it's football, no?
07:24I'm not the type of person or manager to think about...
07:29Because you have to think, we are able to win seven, eight, nine,
07:33ten games in a row and win the titles,
07:36I will not be scared to work again and again and again.
07:39It's happened, football has happened in this season,
07:41unfortunately, it's happened a little bit more than in the past.
07:44And then, Ruben Amron is someone you saw sporting in Lisbon,
07:47he's had mixed fortunes at Manchester,
07:49but do you feel, again, it's just give these people time
07:52and they will show what they can do?
07:55Always I wish, always I wish the manager that's in charge,
07:58I don't pretend that, you know...
08:03So, it depends on Man United.
08:05So, of course, every manager needs time, that is an obvious reason,
08:10but in this world, they don't give you much
08:14and in the big clubs, you have to win,
08:16if you don't win, you can be in trouble, but it's not easy.
08:20You know, arriving in the middle of the season,
08:21change the way you want to play and settle everything,
08:24so it's not easy for anyone.
08:27So, but what's going to happen at United, I'm sorry, but I don't know.
08:34Hi, Pep. Manchester Derby, Phil Foden's got a great record in it,
08:39last season he played so well when Kevin was out injured,
08:42I know you said you don't replace guys like Kevin,
08:44but with someone like Kevin moving on,
08:47is Phil like the guy to fill that role in the team,
08:50to fill that position for Manchester City?
08:52They have played together last year many, many times,
08:55they played together, so the specific quality from Kevin,
09:00we don't have that player in our squad, we don't have it.
09:04Phil has another attribute that also is difficult to find in our squad,
09:09but it's not, you know, I know it's going to happen,
09:15you know, but it's not, you have a player that has to do the role from Kevin,
09:19everyone has to do his own role, his skills, his quality,
09:23this is what you have to do.
09:26OK, thank you.
09:26Thanks, guys.