Kevin De Bruyne’s legacy will not be defined by the outcome of Saturday’s Champions League final, the midfielder said ahead of Manchester City’s showdown against Serie A side Inter Milan in Istanbul.
De Bruyne has won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and five League Cups at City but European success has eluded the Belgian, who came closest to lifting the elusive trophy in 2021, when City suffered a 1-0 defeat against Chelsea in the final.
“It depends who you ask (whether City’s status rests on winning the Champions League). Most of the guys have been incredible anyway,” De Bruyne told British media.
“Will it help? Yes. But one 90 minutes doesn’t define a career. I am on around 700 games. One 90 minutes out of 700 doesn’t define my career. But obviously it helps.”
City beat arch-rivals Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup final on Saturday to keep their bid for a historic treble alive, and will be favourites to beat Inter in this week’s Champions League final.
“We deserved to win. I am very happy and very proud,” De Bruyne said. “We should enjoy the next week and hopefully we can perform the best we can... Inter are a very good team. Finals are 50-50.
“It is always difficult. You have to manage these moments. There will be moments when it is tough but in the big moments we try to do our job. Inter have great players and we have respect for them. They haven’t got to the final by beating easy teams.”
Disregard history: Pep to his boys
Manchester: Neither Manchester City’s past failures in Europe nor their domestic success will have any bearing on Saturday’s Champions League final, manager Pep Guardiola said on Tuesday as he urged his players to focus on their own performances.
Guardiola has won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups at City but European success has eluded the manager who won the trophy twice as Barcelona head coach.
City have never won Europe’s elite club competition and lost the final to Chelsea in 2021, but will be favourites to beat Inter Milan this week and complete their bid for a historic treble - having already won the Premier League and FA Cup. “It is a dream to be here, two years ago we were there but in a different situation,” the Spanish coach told reporters ahead of the final in Istanbul.
“We are going to try to do our best as we know the final depends on how you behave over the specific 90 minutes. It is not about history — if they are better than us.
“It is about what you have to do in 90 minutes to be better than the opponent. It doesn’t count what you have done in the group stage, quarter finals, last season, Premier League or FA Cup. It is one single game.
“What we are trying to do in the next few days is try to understand how to play with a lot of difficulties as it is not easy to attack the defensive system Inter use,” Guardiola said.
Reuters
