Kevin De Bruyne Set To Possibly Break Lionel Messi's Record In Upcoming Tie Against Manchester United

Classy, charismatic and clinical — merely superlatives that understate the excellence of Kevin De Bruyne.

The Manchester City midfield maestro has been on an absolute tear ever since his return to action in January and has given ample reason for all those who doubted Jurgen Klopp’s warning to stand corrected.

“Kevin De Bruyne is warming up. The whole country is starting to shake,” stated Jurgen Klopp upon De Bruyne’s imminent return to City.

The Belgian midfielder had been out of action since injuring his hamstring during the opening night of City’s Premier League season against Burnley after just 23 minutes.

But upon his return, he has gone back to old ways, terrorizing defences all over yet again with the aid of one Erling Haaland to drive the nail in the coffin.

De Bruyne’s record since his return speaks for itself, notching up 11 assists in just 12 games this season, after being out for over five months, and is already among the top five players with most assists across all competitions in Europe’s five biggest leagues.

And now, he stands one assists away from greatness. One assist away from the undeniable Lionel Messi.

Over the past 10 years, the Belgian has produced 202 assists across all competitions.

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, whose tally of 203 assists hangs in the balance as City gear up to face off against United this Sunday.

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, once he provides a mere 2 assists more in the season.

And if the Belgian manages to break the record in his next outing itself, he will have outdone the legendary Argentine in some fashion, as De Bruyne would go on to reach the pinnacle in 16 less games than Messi, who took 458 matches to reach his tally.

With the Belgian at his absolute best currently, after having served up four delectable assists in City’s outing against Luton Town earlier this week, a desperate Manchester United can rest assured that they will have more than enough on their hands to deal with as they aim to push for a top-four spot.