Man City v Real Madrid: Kevin de Bruyne still needs his legacy moment, say journalists

Kevin de Bruyne is Manchester City's apical scorer successful Champions League knockout games with 11

Kevin de Bruyne's stunning extremity helped Manchester City get a gully from their Champions League archetypal limb against Real Madrid - but does helium get the recognition helium deserves?

The Belgium midfielder has been consistently 1 of the champion players successful Europe since joining City from Wolfsburg successful 2015.

The 31-year-old has scored 64 goals and made 101 assists successful 237 Premier League games for City. Only Lionel Messi and Thomas Muller person made much assists crossed Europe's apical 5 leagues successful that time.

"I deliberation De Bruyne inactive needs a defining infinitesimal connected this stage," said writer James Horncastle connected BBC Radio 5 Live's Euro Leagues Show.

"As large arsenic City are successful the Premier League and arsenic overmuch arsenic Pep Guardiola brings the world's attraction connected City, they are not a bequest club.

"It is harder for a City subordinate to make statement astir shot journalists. A batch of clip the genius and benignant of play is associated with Guardiola."

De Bruyne has scored 14 Champions League goals for City, with a nine grounds 11 of them coming successful knockout games.

French writer Julien Laurens said: "City needed De Bruyne to measurement up successful the 2nd fractional due to the fact that helium was rather neutral successful the archetypal half.

"He conscionable popped up successful a infinitesimal that possibly could instrumentality his squad to different final.

"Real Madrid were acceptable up to forestall De Bruyne from having a large interaction connected the game. Yet helium stays successful the crippled due to the fact that astatine immoderate constituent helium knows thing volition travel to him.

"Mentally you person to beryllium precise beardown to enactment successful your crippled until that infinitesimal and I deliberation his solemnisation showed it. He ran to the country wherever the City fans were and helium intelligibly exploded. This is what large players do."

De Bruyne has been named Premier League subordinate of the play doubly and finished 3rd successful the 2022 Ballon d'Or.

City team-mate Erling Haaland was precocious named the Football Writers' Association (FWA) footballer of the year.

Spanish writer Guillem Balague said: "I voted for De Bruyne arsenic subordinate of the year. But it is hard to prime him. It doesn't travel earthy to accidental De Bruyne, the champion subordinate of Manchester City and the Premier League.

"In Spain helium is seen arsenic bully but not arsenic successful Real Madrid and Barcelona should beryllium warring for him. That's partially due to the fact that we person had a fewer similar De Bruyne successful caller years and secondly due to the fact that his manager is simply a enactment of creation astatine City, playing the champion shot we've seen but it is not down to 1 subordinate doing marvellous things successful antithetic parts of the pitch.

"They each person their quadrate of power and Kevin de Bruyne has not been allowed to travel retired of that. In that country of power helium is precise bully but not successful the benignant of astonishing mode wherever we accidental helium has to beryllium fixed the Ballon d'Or."

How tin Vinicius beryllium the champion successful the world?

Vinicius Jr (r) is astir unstoppable erstwhile helium is connected form

Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr, who scored the opener successful the archetypal leg, has go 1 of Europe's champion players successful the past fewer seasons.

This play unsocial the 22-year-old Brazilian has scored 23 goals and assisted different 21.

A winger with singular dribbling ability, his onslaught past week was a superb deed from 25 yards.

Laurens said: "If helium starts scoring goals similar that connected apical of everything other helium does truly good past helium becomes an adjacent bigger occupation for each the teams that volition look him.

"It was fantastic and possibly it is the adjacent improvement for him connected however helium improves adjacent more."

Only Haaland (13 - 12 goals, 1 assist) has been progressive successful much Champions League goals than Vinicius this play (12 - 7 goals, 5 assists).

Balague said: "If helium does what helium is doing truthful acold with 20-odd assists this play and much goals than helium has ever scored successful a play it is fine.

"If helium tin intervene and beryllium influential successful antithetic parts of the transportation it takes him to being the champion successful the world.

"But helium has to bash it for a fewer afloat seasons."

When Vinicius archetypal joined Real from Flamengo successful 2018, helium had bags of accomplishment but his finishing fto him down.

In his archetypal 3 seasons helium deed a combined 14 goals successful each competitions, but helium has netted 55 successful astir 2 seasons since.

Horncastle said: "One of the things that should ne'er spell nether the radar with Vinicius is the accidental that Real Madrid took connected him.

"They spent a batch of wealth erstwhile they signed him - much than £40m - erstwhile cipher had heard of him and they signed him consecutive from Brazil and implicit clip they person developed him and we are talking present astir a subordinate who is apical 3 successful the world."