Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola gave Tribute to Kevin De Bruyne after his last performance at home for the club during their 3-1 win over Bournemouth on Tuesday.
De Bruyne came to the club from Wolfsburg in 2015 and won 14 big trophies during his time at the city, including the Premier League six times.
“There is something you can't buy, if you're honest. He has all the love, especially the gratitude for the player year after year what he did,” said Guardiola, spoke with Sky Sports.
“The most important thing was to win the game and we did it against an incredible opponent. They destroyed us in the Premier League in the first stage. The games are always good, we had chances, they had chances, it was open and people enjoy it.”
The 33-year-old was replaced in the 69th minute to receive a standing ovation from the Etihad Stadium and Guardiola acknowledged that it was an emotional moment.
“It was true that we felt something, it was his day that we wanted to win for him. The vibes we had since we arrived were there,” he said.
“Again, I remember that we admitted many goals at the start of the season and I can't forget that he played 100 minutes a few days ago that it was so demanding. The incredible chance that he had to score a goal would have been on the cake.
“I remembered immediately when it happened, perhaps his second season when we were together and this was quite similar [to the miss against Chelsea]. “
Thank you, @kevindebruyne pic.twitter.com/l2zfrr0HSN
– Manchester City (@Mancity) May 20, 2025
Right for De Bruyne, the recurring Nico Gonzalez, who also scored the third goal of the Night of the Night in the 89th minute, while Rodri also came from the bank in the 83rd minute to make his first performance since September after repairing an ACL injury.
“It's good news, Nico is a fantastic man. I think he has made a fantastic goal and it's fantastic news that Rodri is back.”
For Bournemouth, manager Andoni Iraola found the positive points despite the Etihad defeat, which means that the European qualification was an impossibility.
The lowest place in the Premier League that could come with a place in Europe is eighth, currently occupied by Brighton & Hove Albion on 58 points. Bournemouth remains 11th in 53 points after their loss in Manchester.
“It has clearly been a good season, but we want to finish it well and we want to finish it with three points,” he told Sky Sports.
“We can also end the ninth, 10th, 11th or 12th, so we want to end as high as possible and Aloe Finish by winning the last game for our fans. I hope we can do it on Sunday.”
Iraola also believed that the red card was picked up by Lewis Cook at 73 minutes for an outstanding tackle on Gonzalez, was unjustified.
Cook's Red was the second of the game, with Mateo Kovacic also received his marsorders only six minutes earlier after the pollution of Evanilson when he had polluted on goal.
“I think the red card is clear, Kovacic. I think our red card is, I think you should understand it. I think LEW arrives, it's not 50/50 or he arrives much earlier than Nico and tries to take off his leg after making contact,” he said the Bournemouth Echo.
“And pulling this out makes it probably worse because he lifts his foot and the contact is higher. If you may go stronger, it would be much harder for Nico, much harder.
“But probably not a red card. You know, it's not just the contact point. You have to understand the game and you have to understand what Lewis Cook is doing. He clearly wins the ball.
“It is a clear tackle and then he tries to break, withdraw, and I don't think it should be a red, but I also understand that he makes that decision.”