Kevin de bruyne picks former liverpool star as toughest opponent

KEVIN DE BRUYNE HAS PICKED ONE FORMER LIVERPOOL STAR AS HIS TOUGHEST OPPONENT AFTER REDS CAPTAIN VIRGIL VAN DIJK PAID TRIBUTE TO THE DEPARTING MAN CITY STAR 11:25, 22 May 2025 Kevin De

Bruyne has picked a Liverpool hero as one of his two toughest opponents as he prepares to make his final appearance for Man City. The Belgian will leave the club at the end of his contract

this summer following 10 years at the Etihad. Making 421 appearances, the 33-year-old has returned 108 goals and, according to Transfermarkt, 177 assists. Meanwhile, he is a six-time Premier

League champion, De Bruyne has also won the Champions League, five League Cups and two FA Cups during his time with City. Ahead of his final home appearance against AFC Bournemouth in

midweek, De Bruyne sat down for a special interview for Sky Sports with former Liverpool captain Jamie Redknapp. READ MORE: Liverpool could negotiate Florian Wirtz discount after previous

transfer talks as advantage emergesREAD MORE: Why Arne Slot U-turned on early Liverpool promise as he reacts to 'even more special' chant And when asked who he considered his

toughest opponent during his decade in the Premier League, De Bruyne opted for both former Reds star Fabinho and N’Golo Kante. “You know in the Premier League, there was probably… well I

have to say most difficult, I would say Kante,” he started. “Fabinho was really strong in his time with Henderson and Milner, because they covered so much space and they were so aggressive.

“I would say probably these two stood out, they were probably the most difficult in the way that they played. And also because they’re different. “Kante is small but he covers so much space

and he’s a bit tricky. If people are more defensive midfielders, they’re more bulky, they’re slower, but Kante has speed, has agility, so he’s a very different player to play against.”

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Meanwhile, De Bruyne was shown a compilation of video tributes from team-mates, opponents and other high-profile names from the footballing world at the start of his sit-down with Redknapp.

Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk were just two of the players who featured in the compilation. The Egyptian's own message had already been released, as he joked there was room for his

former Chelsea team-mate at Liverpool. Van Dijk made a joke of his own at the expense of his well-documented close friend, as he teased that it was a ‘good thing’ that De Bruyne would no

longer be playing for City - given their long-running status as the Reds’ title-rivals. “Kevin is a special, special player, has special qualities,” the Dutchman said. “He’s a special player

in this era as well, the way he played, the numbers he produced, the passes, the creativity. Article continues below Liverpool's Premier League champions range This article contains

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today. “It was always a difficult task to play against him, and having him as an opponent. So that’s a good thing that he’s not playing for City anymore next year! “You have era-defining

players and I think he is definitely one of them.”