It seemed strange. Manchester City’s ‘quiet guy’ was doing all the pre-tie talking.
A man who, upon his return to England in August 2015, politely, pleadingly reminded the press: “I’m not going to be much fun for you – I don’t say much.” A man whose autobiography is titled Keep It Simple. A limelight-dodger with choirboy looks among a bold band of pranksters and heavily-inked trend-setters.
Yet perhaps it shouldn’t have been strange that Kevin de Bruyne was, unusually, shouldering the brunt of the press requests prior to a trip to Paris Saint-Germain for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final. Since becoming one of wealthiest clubs on the planet in 2008, City have often seen their European dreams derailed by embarrassing losses. This was largely attributed to the anonymity of the big names in the big games. No wonder the usual suspects were muted.
So up stepped KDB, fresh from scoring, starring and receiving a standing ovation upon his return to action following a ten-week lay-off – and rather than give orthodox, expectation-quelling responses, the timid Belgian was surprisingly intrepid. He underplayed the favouritism of a PSG team that had been shattering records while his own were in the midst of a lamentable Premier League campaign – and without Yaya Toure and Raheem Sterling. He criticised City’s lack of consistency. He declared it was time for them to perform against the big boys. Then he ran out at the Parc de Princes and walked the walk, stylishly dispatching the opener in an unforeseen 2-2 draw.
If that delighted the 24-year-old, its offshoot wouldn’t have: De Bruyne once again found himself holding court with the press ahead of part two. This time he was back to his old, shy self as he obligingly discussed fatherhood, explained why he joined City over PSG, rued a spell on the sidelines and tempered expectations over the tie’s outcome, while also emphasising Sergio Aguero’s importance to City and deemphasising his own. ‘Chores’ completed, it was now time for De Bruyne to let his feet do the talking – and that he most certainly did.
The 24-year-old was the string-puller as City enjoyed the best of the first 45.He spun his marker, played a one-two with David Silva and created a half-chance for Sergio Aguero with an intuitive reserve pass. He produced a glorious through-ball to free Silva. He then watched Aguero win and miss a penalty – one that looked like it could cost City.
That’s because the second half was a different story. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s free-kick forced Joe Hart into a fine save. Thiago Silva should have done better with a close-range header. Every PSG set-piece was creating panic. Panic that perished in minute 76, when De Bruyne’s cute dummy sent Edinson Cavani lunging into no-man’s land and his immaculate shot curled into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
That magic made him a media magnet again. And while De Bruyne repeatedly referred to his effort – an individual goal if ever there was one – as one “we” scored, and posted a modest "We did it!!" on Twitter, his buddies in blue showered him with praise.
"Quality settles competitions,” Joe Hart said afterwards. “Luckily our main man from Belgium settled it tonight."
Fernandinho added: “He’s a very good player. When he was out injured, we missed him a lot. Every game he creates chances to score, as well as scoring goals, and he’s very important for us. I’m very happy for him, he’s scored a historic goal for the club. I think he deserved it as he’s a great person as well.”
De Bruyne arrived in Manchester with much to prove. He’d managed just three Premier League appearances for Chelsea before being sold to Wolfsburg. He’d been labelled a crybaby by former manager Jose Mourinho. He had a £55m fee to live up to.
“I don’t want to be the star,” De Bruyne said at the time. “I’m just a quiet guy. I don’t want to do the talking – I just want to let my feet do the talking and hopefully help the team.”
Eight months on and the 38-times-capped international has emphatically helped City. He was vital in their run to the League Cup final, which they edged in his absence. He’s been brilliant in the Premier League. He’s been arguably even better in the Champions League.
The self-proclaimed 'shy guy' has become a widely-acclaimed main man at the City of Manchester Stadium – whether he likes it, and the media obligations that come with it, or not.