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MANCHESTER CITY SAID GOODBYE TO KEVIN DE BRUYNE ON TUESDAY NIGHT BUT ANOTHER CLUB GREAT IS FACING A MORE LONELY FAREWELL 10:29, 21 May 2025 Kevin De Bruyne may not be leaving Manchester City

in the way that he would have liked, but he received a fitting send-off on Tuesday night. After his teammates had ensured his last game at the Etihad was a winning one to push the Blues

closer to Champions League qualification, almost the entire ground stayed behind to pay their respects to him and his family. At the end of football careers, these sort of moments will stand

out. De Bruyne has won the lot with City but the love and adoration for him from a fanbase who sang that they wanted him to stay as he was saying his goodbyes will be a sweet memory. As

will the tributes from teammates. City know how to throw a send-off party for a legend and as the Belgian stood in the centre-circle there were messages of appreciation on the big screen.

What could have been a wake stayed as a party as the sight of each former player granted enormous cheers from the crowd. There was no shortage of greats willing to have their say either,

from Leroy Sane and Vincent Kompany in Munich to Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez in Saudi Arabia, Sergio Aguero in Argentina, or Fernandinho in Brazil. 2025/26 Man City home kit This

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twist on an old favourite. And while he was not the only famous face missing, it was strange not to see Kyle Walker anywhere near the celebrations. There can't be many in the City side

who have played more games with De Bruyne than Walker over their eight years together, and the pair were captain and vice-captain for the first half of the campaign. Last year, Walker

didn't even announce that he was captain over De Bruyne until the latter was back from injury out of the respect he has for him. The full-back would not have had a send-off close to De

Bruyne when he does leave City, but his complete absence from Tuesday's celebrations paint a brutal picture for when he does leave the club. It is one thing for there to be no way back

into the team after he upped sticks and left to join AC Milan on loan in January, and another to think that the last few months have dramatically changed the way Walker will be thought of

and what his goodbye will look like. Perhaps in time he will be welcomed back and his eight brilliant years with the club recognised as they should be, but for now - and especially after

last night - it looks difficult to see anything but a brutal parting of the ways in summer for a key figure in City's record-breaking success. As much as it matters what you do at a

club, it also matters how you leave. --- _Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis._ _Make sure you don’t miss out

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