CRYING SHAME FOR KEV

EXASPERATED Kevin De Bruyne

KEVIN DE BRUYNE remembers the last time he cried.

It wasn’t when he got married. Or when either of his two sons, Mason and Rome, were born.

It says much about what playing football means to the Manchester City midfielder that it was when he suffered a knee injury in a Carabao Cup tie against Fulham last season and he feared once again being sidelined for months.

Even his wife Michele thinks he’s a little strange – but perhaps it’s just true that inside every genius is a touch of madness.

He must have felt like crying himself to sleep last night.

There is nothing more depressing than wasted talent.

And the reality is that the player who is arguably the most creative midfielder in the Premier League, if not the world, was a virtual spectator for most of the game after Pep Guardiola once again failed to resist his natural urge to overthink his plans in the later stages of the Champions League.

De Bruyne hardly got a kick – until Guardiola finally saw sense and restored him to a position where he can wreak his usual havoc.

It was the Belgian who brought City level in the 69th minute, majestically sweeping home Raheem Sterling’s cross.

Lyon had deservedly gone ahead in the first half through Maxwel Cornet’s strike.

And the French underdogs went through to the semi-finals when Moussa Dembele struck twice in the dying stages.

There was no lack of effort from De Bruyne. He put in the hard yards.

But De Bruyne’s regular concerned glances towards Guardiola on the touchline suggested he could not quite understand what his manager was asking of him.

It was clear after 20 minutes that the midfielder was struggling to get to grips with Guardiola’s instruction to play just behind Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling.

He threw his hands up in the air in exasperation as the game went on around him.

And the final shock result was a crying shame for City.