Breaking down Belgium and Manchester City's Playmaker
With Manchester City dominating the Premier League there is one player shining brightest in Pep Guardiola's side.
What makes him so special? Let's start by breaking down his game component by component.
DECISIVE PASSES - in full flight
There are few better passers of the ball in world football than Kevin De Bruyne. With 8 assists in 18 appearances the man knows how to find a team mate in attacking positions. What's more impressive is his ability to pass the ball breaking out of a full sprint. The hardest thing about football is executing technique at high speed. Whether that is shooting, dribbling, passing, tackling, goalkeeping and everything in between.
A prime example being the 4th goal when Man City disembled Stoke 7-2. KDB picks the ball up on the right wing and without breaking stride delivers a cross David Beckham would have been proud of.
BIG GOALS - In the biggest games
Goals against Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham so far this season have helped Man City build a substantial gap at the top of the table. With 6 goals scored so far this season he is far from prolific but he scores when it matters. The fact he has more assists shows what kind of player he is. If you include the away goal at Leicester which was a bad fixture for the Sky Blues last year, that is 4 important goals in the biggest games.
NO WEAK FOOT?
As previously mentioned he scores in the biggest games. Most impressive were his efforts against Chelsea and Tottenham. Both were scored with thunderous left footed strikes. From a naturally right footed striker, it just goes to show that there is so much versatility to his game. If the defender marks his right foot he's happy to go left and bury a shot.
MENTALITY OF A CHAMPION
In their most recent Premier League match they disposed Tottenham 4-1. In a big contrast for 2 rising midfielders in World Football, Dele Alli caught KDB high and reckless. It should have been a straight red and the KDB was very luck to avoid serious injury. Fortunately for him and the City fans he didn't and moments later scored a left foot cannon past Hugo Lloris. Other players would have seeked revenge or lost their heads but this young man got even in the best way possible.
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
Put simply this guy does whatever his team needs him to do. Big goals, creating assists and leading his team by example.
He adds another beautifully ironic chapter to the Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola rivally. The man Mourinho sold at Chelsea has come back to England via Germany and his arch nemesis is grooming him into the best midfielder in the world. Gabriel Jesus may yet become the Messi of this Man City side but Pep has already found his Xavi/Iniesta.
Now over to the football world to see if anyone can stop Man City and their ginger haired maestro.