Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano has showered praise upon Kevin De Bruyne for silencing his critics during his time at the Etihad Stadium.
There was no shortage of sceptics after Manuel Pellegrini's coup of Kevin De Bruyne made the 30-year-old the then-second most expensive signing in British history.
Despite coming off the back of being voted the Bundesliga Player of the Year with 10 goals and 20 assists for Wolfsburg in the 2014/15 season, De Bruyne's reputation was tainted after his ill-fated spell at Stamford Bridge.
However, it is safe to say that since his return to English football in sky blue colours, De Bruyne has not looked back for a second.
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Making his critics eat their words over the years, the four-time Premier League winner has been widely hailed as the best midfielder in world football since his arrival to the Etihad Stadium in 2015.
It is evident that De Bruyne’s exploits are respected by his peers as well, considering he is a part of an exclusive list featuring Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo as the only three players in Premier League history to be voted as the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
With a plethora of domestic success to his name, it is next to impossible to put forth an argument against the Genk academy graduate as one of the Premier League's all-time greats.
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In a recent sit-down, Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano hailed De Bruyne for how he has conducted himself on and off the pitch at City and his rise as a leader in Pep Guardiola's side.
"Kevin (De Bruyne) has become a leader in our club and he has been growing and growing," Soriano said in a new episode of the Dr. Football Podcast this week.
"He (De Bruyne) has been a spectacular player on the pitch, but he is also a leader in the dressing room.
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"The majority of players use agents for that (to negotiate terms of a contract), and he did not. He just used a lawyer."
After enjoying an impressive debut campaign under Manuel Pellegrini, De Bruyne has been a mainstay in the Manchester City starting XI under Pep Guardiola, who has admittedly run out of words to describe the quality possessed by the playmaker.
Soriano added: “A quiet leader. But every time we need him (De Bruyne), he is there.
"This was, to people who don’t remember, the amount of money we paid for him (De Bruyne). I think, in pounds, it was 62 million and there was a famous cover on one of the English newspapers with a picture of him, and it said; ‘The £62 million flop’.
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"They said Txiki (Begiristain) was wrong to buy this player and he was clearly right. Kevin De Bruyne is now a legend at Manchester City. He still has years to play and he will be one of the key historical players of this club.”
It is hard to disagree with Soriano on the subject as Kevin De Bruyne never ceases to surprise with his unique genius.
With the Manchester City icon only improving as time passes, there is no limit to the heights his legacy could reach when he does eventually move on.
Featured Image Credit: Action Plus Sports Images / AlamyTopics: Manchester City, Premier League, Kevin De Bruyne, Pep Guardiola, Champions League