Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Debruyne’s the shining star in a team that can take your breath away
IN a sky full of stars, Kevin De Bruyne has shone the brightest – and that’s why he is my player of the season.
It seems incredible, in a year when Mo Salah has scored 36 club goals and Harry Kane has hit 35, that neither of them might win the PFA’S coveted accolade for 2017-18.
But as players across the country prepare to cast their votes, I can’t escape the glow of a Blue Moon cast by Manchester City – and especially the irresistible De Bruyne.
Long-time readers of this column will recall that when De Bruyne signed for City in 2015, for £54million, I said he was not worth a fee which put him in the top-10 most expensive players in the world at the time.
I said the others on an elite list of football’s crown jewels – Gareth Bale, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kaka, Rivaldo, the Brazilian Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Andriy Shevchenko, and Edinson Cavani – were all worth the entrance money on their own.
So there was a time when De Bruyne might not have belonged in such exalted company – but he’s a top-class act now.
If I was still a Premier League footballer going to the ballot box, I would eat my humble pie and vote for De Bruyne – because he is the best player I have seen this season.
And, yes, he’s been worth every penny of his fee –and more.
In a team which has often taken your breath away, De Bruyne has been simply outstanding in every respect: 11 goals from midfield, 19 assists, wicked set-piece delivery, weight of pass, angles, mobility and tempo. What’s not to like?
In today’s market, he must be worth at least the £142m Barcelona paid to sign Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool in January.
For pure goalscoring alone, Salah and Kane have been exceptional. Kane’s prolific form is almost taken for granted now, while Salah has been a revelation for Liverpool in his first season at Anfield. But unless Tottenham win the FA Cup or Liv- erpool win the Champions League – both perfectly possible – neither of them is going to finish the season with a winner’s medal.
De Bruyne, on the other hand, will win at least two – the Premier League title and the League Cup – and he could complete a treble if City win the European Cup as well.
I remember Sir Alex Ferguson was aghast when Manchester United won the Treble in 1999, but none of his players won the Footballer of the Year – which went to Spurs’ David Ginola.
In an ideal world, the award will go to a player from the best team, and this season there is absolutely no doubt which team has swept all before them.
So who else would make my short list? Among the keepers, David De Gea remains the best in the league – and probably the world – but Nick Pope deserves a special mention.
To come from nowhere and help unfancied Burnley to the edge of Europe, as well as winning an England call-up, is a phenomenal effort.
It’s a tribute to the Clarets that they have now produced two England keepers – Pope (left) and Tom Heaton.
I would include De Bruyne’s team-mate at City, Fernandinho, who does so much unsung work in midfield. I’ll tell you how good he is now: he’d get in the Real Madrid or Barcelona sides .
I’m going to include Romelu Lukaku among the contenders too – 25 goals in your first season at Manchester United is never to be sniffed at. United will have to win the FA Cup to salvage any satisfaction from their season, but at least Lukaku has done what it said on the tin when Jose Mourinho signed him last summer.
As for Young Player of the Year, Raheem Sterling’s improvement under Pep Guardiola’s tutelage at City has been profound. I’ve also liked the look of Alfie Mawson at Swansea, Richarlison at Watford and Dele Alli is still only 21.
But again, my award would go to the Etihad. The way Leroy Sane goes past people reminds me of a young Ryan Giggs... and when Giggs burst on to the scene, United went on to become the dominant force in English football for 20 years.