Manchester City’s midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne is on the verge of rewriting history as he approaches a Lionel Messi record ahead of the highly anticipated clash against Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday (March 3).
After enduring a setback with a hamstring injury that sidelined him for 28 games across competitions, the 32-year-old Belgian has made a remarkable return to form.
Displaying his trademark brilliance, De Bruyne orchestrated four of Erling Haaland’s five goals in Manchester City’s commanding 6-2 victory over Luton Town in the FA Cup fifth round midweek.
This stellar performance propelled De Bruyne’s assist count to 202 while representing top-five league clubs (Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, La Liga) since the 2013-14 season, with the majority of his assists (165) coming during his tenure at City, where he arrived in the summer of 2015.
De Bruyne now finds himself just one assist shy of matching Messi’s tally of assists in Europe’s elite leagues during the same timeframe, with the Argentine legend amassing most of his 203 assists during his tenure at Barcelona.
Should De Bruyne equal Messi’s record on Sunday, he will achieve this milestone in 442 games, surpassing Messi’s tally in 16 fewer appearances.
