Friday will not only bring about Manchester City’s UCL opener, but a poignant reunion with club legend Kevin De Bruyne too.
Now wearing Napoli colours, the Belgian midfielder will face Pep Guardiola and the club where he spent a decade becoming one of the Premier League’s defining players.
For Guardiola, who worked with De Bruyne throughout his most successful period as a manager in England, Thursday will be a moment of both pride and emotion.
How excited is Guardiola to see his old midfield maestro back? Well, it can wait till ‘after the game’ as per the City boss.
“The players at that level don’t need much time to adapt and perform well,” Guardiola said when asked about his former star’s quick adjustment in Italy.
“[What does he give to Napoli?]
His incredible talent, vision, pass, assists and goals in the final third. He’s unique.”
“It’s not a surprise to see him doing well in Napoli. His talent and vision speak for themselves. I will be happy to see him again — but after the game.”
De Bruyne’s Legacy At City
De Bruyne joined City in 2015 from Wolfsburg for £55 million, then a club-record fee. At the time, it was seen as a gamble on a player who had struggled at Chelsea. But under Guardiola, he flourished into the heartbeat of City’s system.
De Bruyne left City in June after a 10-year trophy-laden spell that saw him lift five Premier League titles, one Champions League, two FA Cups, and five League Cups.
By the time he departed, he had made 358 appearances, scoring 96 goals and creating 153 assists.
Guardiola’s City at a Crossroads
City, meanwhile, come into the Champions League under pressure. Last season, they endured the disappointment of crashing out in a play-off against Real Madrid, and shortly after, the pain that came with finishing a season without a trophy for the first time in eight years.
Bookmakers have placed Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, and Paris Saint-Germain ahead of them as favourites for this year’s title.
Guardiola, however, brushed aside the outside doubts.
“Apparently, we are not [favourites],” he said. “We just won once, so that is a lot of difficulty. Just enjoy the moment, the journey. We are happy to be here.”
Still, the storyline of Thursday’s match is less about City’s status in Europe and more about the emotional sight of De Bruyne walking back onto the Etihad pitch — this time as an opponent.
Memories and legacy will hang in the air — but so will the urgency of a new campaign, as old friends turn into rivals under the Etihad floodlights on Friday.
(with agency inputs)
