Topics: Kevin De Bruyne, Lionel Messi, Manchester City, Manchester United, Premier League
Kevin De Bruyne could break an incredible Lionel Messi record when Manchester City face Manchester United on Sunday.
The 192nd Manchester derby could have serious implications for both sides.
City need to win to avoid giving Liverpool and Arsenal the upper hand in the Premier League title race, while United are looking to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for Europe next season.
The crunch clash could prove significant for another reason though, thanks to the superb form of City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.
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The Belgian star has been in fine form since he returned from a five-month hamstring injury layoff at the start of 2024.
Since then he has provided 12 assists in just 11 games in all competitions, with four of those coming in City's 6-2 mauling of Luton Town in the FA Cup on Tuesday night.
That quadruple of De Bruyne set-ups - all finished off by Erling Haaland - took his tally of assists in all competitions over the last 10 years to 202.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the only player who has created more goals in that time while playing in the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1 or the Bundesliga, is Lionel Messi.
Since the 2013/14 season the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has provided 203 assists, the majority of them coming when he played for Barcelona.
Now that Messi plays in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, De Bruyne has the chance to become the top assist-provider in Europe's top five leagues over the past decade.
One assist against City's arch-rivals United on at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday would see the 32-year-old equal Messi's record, while two would put him top of the pile.
Should he manage to equal or break Messi's record, De Bruyne would do so in 16 games fewer, with the Argentine icon reaching his figure in 458 matches.
De Bruyne is currently third in the all-time Premier League assist charts with 106, behind only Cesc Fabregas (111) and Ryan Giggs (162).
