Kevin De Bruyne has reached the 100-goal landmark for Manchester City after scoring twice in the Citizens' 4-2 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday.
After watching on as an unused substitute in City's midweek victory over Aston Villa, De Bruyne returned to Pep Guardiola's starting lineup as captain against the Eagles, and he certainly made his present felt at Selhurst Park.
Jean-Philippe Mateta gave Palace a shock lead after just three minutes when he raced through on goal and smacked a shot in off the post, but their lead was short-lived as De Bruyne restored parity for Man City just 10 minutes later with a sensational curling shot whipped into the top corner.
© Reuters
Rico Lewis then put City ahead just two minutes after the interval, before De Bruyne contributed to the visitors' next two goals within the space of four minutes, firstly setting up Erling Haaland for a close-range finish before arrowing a first-time left-footed shot in at the near post to notch up a century of goals for the Citizens across all competitions.
Odsonne Edouard pulled one back for Palace in the closing stages, but Man City held on to claim three important points and boost their hopes of winning an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title.
De Bruyne, known primarily for his elite playmaker abilities, has become the 18th Man City player to score 100 goals for the club, while he has also registered an impressive 166 assists in his 372 appearances for the reigning Premier League champions.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at De Bruyne's century of strikes for Man City across his legendary nine-year career at the Etihad Stadium.
2015-16 – 16 goals in 41 appearances
Eyebrows were raised by some football supporters and pundits when Man City forked out a reported £54m to sign De Bruyne from Wolfsburg in the summer of 2015, but it is fair to say that the Belgian has proven many doubters wrong and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders to have graced the Premier League.
After scoring 16 goals in 51 games for Wolfsburg to win the 2014-15 Bundesliga Player of the Year award, De Bruyne made an immediate impact in his debut campaign at Man City, netting 16 goals in 41 appearances across all competitions.
The midfielder, who quickly established himself as a first-team regular under former boss Manuel Pellegrini, scored seven times in the Premier League, including three in his first four matches - netting his first goal for the club in a 2-1 home defeat to West Ham United - while he also found the net five times in as many outings in City's triumphant EFL Cup campaign.
De Bruyne's most memorable goal of the 2015-16 season came in the Champions League quarter-finals against Paris Saint-Germain when he whipped a 20-yard strike into the bottom corner to seal a 1-0 second-leg win and a 3-2 aggregate victory for the Citizens, helping the club advance to the semi-finals for the first time in their history.
Total goals: 16
Premier League: 7 goals in 25 games
FA Cup: 1 goal in 1 games
EFL Cup: 5 goals in 5 games
Champions League: 3 goals in 10 games
2016-17 – Seven goals in 49 appearances
The 2016-17 campaign saw De Bruyne operate in a deeper midfield role following the arrival of Pep Guardiola as manager, leading to only seven goals in 49 appearances from the Belgian across all tournaments in a season that ended trophyless for City, finishing third in the Premier League.
While the Citizens heavily relied on star striker Sergio Aguero to score the goals - 33 in total - De Bruyne became one of the club's chief creators as he provided 20 assists, at least five more than any of his teammates, including a Premier League-high 18 assists in 36 games.
De Bruyne scored six times in the top flight, including his first Manchester derby goal in a 2-1 win at Old Trafford, while his only other goal came in the Champions League group stage when City came from behind to beat Barcelona 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
Total goals: 7
Premier League: 6 goals in 36 games
FA Cup: 0 goals in 5 games
EFL Cup: 0 goals in 1 game
Champions League: 1 goals in 6 games
2017-18 – 12 goals in 52 appearances
De Bruyne was an integral cog in Guardiola's machine as the pair celebrated their first Premier League title together in record-breaking fashion; Man City became the first and only club to date to collect 100 points in a single top-flight season, scoring a record 106 goals in the process.
As well as registering a Premier League-high 16 assists, De Bruyne scored eight goals, including his first of the season against former club Chelsea in a narrow 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge, before finding the net in home victories over Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
De Bruyne scored one and provided four assists across eight Champions League outings, while he netted a crucial goal in both legs of City's 5-3 aggregate win over Bristol City in the EFL Cup semi-finals, before the Citizens beat Arsenal 3-0 in the final to seal a domestic double.
Total goals: 12
Premier League: 8 goals in 37 games
FA Cup: 1 goal in 3 games
EFL Cup: 2 goals in 4 games
Champions League: 1 goals in 8 games
2018-19– Six goals in 32 appearances
A knee ligament injury limited De Bruyne's influence in Man City's 'Fourmidables' 2018-29 season when they became the first men's team to win all four domestic trophies in England in the same campaign.
The midfielder still managed to contribute with 11 assists in 32 appearances, but he only found the net six times – the lowest haul of his Etihad career thus far – scoring two goals in each of the Premier League, EFL Cup and FA Cup.
De Bruyne ended the season in style as he scored and provided an assist in a 35-minute cameo appearance off the substitutes' bench in City's 6-0 FA Cup final triumph over Watford.
Total goals: 6
Premier League: 2 goals in 19 games
FA Cup: 2 goals in 4 games
EFL Cup: 2 goals in 5 games
Champions League: 0 goals in 4 games
2019-20 – 16 goals in 48 appearances
Kevin De Bruyne v Newcastle, 2019/20
— GoalScorer Challenge ⚽️ (@GoalscorerC) March 28, 2020
@DeBruyneKevpic.twitter.com/VghNJjM8ls
De Bruyne returned to full fitness and enjoyed arguably his best season in a Man City shirt in 2019-20, winning the Premier League and PFA Player of the Year awards for the first time in his career, even though the Citizens lost out to Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
City's No.17 contributed to 39 goals in all tournaments, scoring 13 goals and registering a joint-record 20 assists in 35 Premier League games, matching Thierry Henry's assist feat in 2002-03.
The Belgian netted three of his 13 top-flight goals across two encounters with Arsenal, while he also scored in both home and away meetings with former club Chelsea and made the net ripple in a thumping 4-0 home victory over Liverpool.
However, De Bruyne's standout goal of 2019-20 took place at St James' Park where he chested a high ball before unleashing an unstoppable 20-yard volley in off the underside of the crossbar in a 2-2 draw against Newcastle United – the midfielder's strike was voted the Premier League Goal of the Month for November and Man City's Goal of the Season.
De Bruyne also scored away against the Magpies in a 2-0 EFL Cup quarter-final win, but he was unable to get on the scoresheet in three EFL Cup appearances, including a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in the final.
In the Champions League, the Citizens star celebrated his 50th goal for the club when he placed a penalty past Belgian compatriot Thibaut Courtois in a 2-1 first-leg win at Real Madrid in the last 16, before netting a precise side-footed strike in a 3-1 quarter-final defeat to Lyon.
Total goals: 16
Premier League: 13 goals in 35 games
FA Cup: 1 goal in 2 games
EFL Cup: 0 goals in 3 games
Champions League: 2 goals in 7 games
Community Shield: 0 goals in 1 game
2020-21 – 10 goals in 40 appearances
Goals were shared around the Man City side in 2020-21 and De Bruyne was one of seven players to reach double figures across all competitions – Ilkay Gundogan topped the Citizens scoring charts with 17, while Aguero netted only six times in his final year at the club.
De Bruyne scored six of his 10 goals in the Premier League and also notched up 12 assists as Man City reclaimed the title from Liverpool, finishing 12 points clear of their nearest challengers and bitter rivals Man United.
The Belgian was a standout performer in the Citizens' march to the 2021 Champions League final, scoring three goals in the knockout rounds against Borussia Monchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund and PSG, but he was forced off injured with a fractured nose and eye socket in the showpiece event when City lost 1-0 to Chelsea.
De Bruyne was unable to get his name on the scoresheet in four games during City's triumphant EFL Cup campaign, but he did score in the 90th minute of a last-gasp 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final win at Everton, six minutes after Gundogan opened the scoring.
Total goals: 10
Premier League: 6 goals in 25 games
FA Cup: 1 goal in 3 games
EFL Cup: 0 goals in 4 games
Champions League: 3 goals in 8 games
2021-22 – 19 goals in 45 appearances
After his four goals against Wolves, Kevin De Bruyne joins Frank Lampard and Georginio Wijnaldum as the ONLY players to score four in a single Premier League game from central midfield 🙌🔥 pic.twitter.com/kNVahs8S4n
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 13, 2022
The 2021-22 campaign is the only season to date in which De Bruyne's goal tally has exceeded his assists in a Man City shirt, recording 19 goals and 15 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions.
De Bruyne was City's top scorer in the Premier League, netting 15 goals to fire Guardiola's men to their fourth title in five seasons, despite being pushed to the final day in an enthralling battle with Liverpool, who finished just one point behind in second place.
As well as scoring one goal in both meetings with Liverpool that ended 2-2, De Bruyne was at the double in a 4-1 home thrashing of Man United, a couple of months after bending a delightful long-range strike into the bottom corner to seal a 1-0 win over Chelsea.
However, De Bruyne's most memorable outing of the 2021-22 season came at Molineux when he scored four goals - including three with his weaker left-foot - while operating as a false nine in a thumping 5-1 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers in April, becoming just the third midfielder after Frank Lampard and Georginio Wijnaldum to net four in a single Premier League game.
De Bruyne was unable to score in his first six Champions League appearances, before netting in quarter-final and semi-final home tie against Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid respectively – City beat the latter by a 4-3 scoreline in a thriller at the Etihad before throwing away a two-goal aggregate lead to lose the second leg in heartbreaking fashion after extra time.
Total goals: 19
Premier League: 15 goals in 30 games
FA Cup: 1 goal in 3 games
EFL Cup: 1 goal in 2 games
Champions League: 2 goals in 10 games
2022-23 – 10 goals in 49 appearances
De Bruyne handed over goalscoring duties to record-breaking summer signing Erling Haaland for Man City's historic treble winning campaign in 2022-23. Although he still managed to net 10 times in all tournaments, the Belgian demonstrated his creative nous to full effect as he registered a remarkable 28 assists, eight more than any other player in Europe's top-five leagues.
As he did in 2019-20, De Bruyne scored three times across two appearances against Arsenal and netted seven Premier League goals in total as City sealed their third successive title. A slender 1-0 win at Leicester City was secured thanks to a stunning De Bruyne free kick, while his 75th Man City goal was slotted home in a 2-0 victory over Brentford.
De Bruyne, who failed to score in two EFL Cup matches, only netted once in four FA Cup games, but he did provide two assists for Gundogan in the 2-1 FA Cup final triumph over Man United at Wembley.
In the Champions League, De Bruyne was on the scoresheet in a 7-0 drubbing of RB Leipzig in the last 16, but his standout strike of the campaign came at the Santiago Bernabeu where he arrowed a long-range shot beyond Courtois, cancelling out an equally superb opener from Vinicius Junior, to earn a 1-1 draw for the Citizens in the first leg of their semi-final.
Total goals: 10
Premier League: 7 goals in 32 games
FA Cup: 1 goal in 4 games
EFL Cup: 0 goals in 2 games
Champions League: 2 goals in 10 games
Community Shield: 0 goals in 1 game
*2023-24 – Four goals in 16 appearances (so far)
Kevin De Bruyne with thumps home his second of the afternoon! 🚀
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 6, 2024
Man City lead 4-1! 🔥
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/hphD0oqIA5
After battling through the latter stages of Man City's treble-winning season with a niggling hamstring injury, De Bruyne aggravated the same problem in the first 23 minutes of the Citizens' Premier League opener at Burnley the following campaign, and the playmaker was ruled out for five months after undergoing an operation.
City's No.17 returned to full fitness at the start of 2024 and quickly made his presence felt, winning the club's Player of the Month award for January after recording one goals and three assists across victories over Newcastle, Burnley and Huddersfield Town.
De Bruyne netted a crucial equaliser before setting up Oscar Bobb for a stoppage-time winner in a 3-2 win at Newcastle, before scoring his second goal of the campaign in a 3-1 last-16 first-leg win at Copenhagen in the Champions League in February.
That strike was De Bruyne's 98th for the Citizens, and he has now joined the 100 club with his brace in a man-of-the-match display against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Total goals: *4
Premier League: *3 goals in 11 games
FA Cup: *0 goals in 3 games
EFL Cup: 0 goals in 0 games
Champions League: *1 goal in 1 game
Community Shield: 0 goals in 1 game
Oliver Thomas
