What Would Kevin De Bruyne Bring To MLS?

Kevin De Bruyne will leave Manchester City when his contract expires this summer, departing as one of the best players the Manchester club and the Premier League have seen.

Major League Soccer would seem like one of the obvious next steps for the 33-year-old as his career winds down, but what type of player would he be in the North American league, and what does he still have to offer a team should he move there?

MLS is a good destination for high-profile players from Europe who have reached their 30s and are looking for a different experience and one final contract, but players of this age are not always good for MLS.

There are a mixture of success stories and failures among them, from players who became legends or cult heroes, to others who fans might wish their team had avoided.

All transfers, regardless of age or player profile, have an element of risk, but a high-profile, once-quality player from Europe is usually expected to be a surefire success. When they are not a success, it often hits harder due to the investment in these players, both financially from the club and emotionally from the fans.

A combination of waning physical ability, which happens naturally as players enter this phase of their career, and teams believing they are getting the twenty-something version of the player, not the thirty-something one, has led to several missteps in MLS when signing these experienced stars. The teams can be as much to blame as the player.

However, if a team understands that the De Bruyne they are signing is the 33-year-old version, and not the 24-year-old one Man City signed back in 2015 for £55 million ($85 million at the time), they could be getting a player who will be among the best in MLS immediately upon arrival.

What is De Bruyne: 2025 Version?

Make no mistake, De Bruyne is still English Premier League standard, and still among the best players in one of the best leagues in the world. De Bruyne himself knows this, too.

“I don’t know about the future, unfortunately,” De Bruyne said after scoring his side’s only goal in a 1-0 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers last month.

“I have shown I can still play here, otherwise I don’t do what I do these last four or five weeks.

“A lot of teammates have spoken to me, they are also sad that I have to go. It goes like this in life, but the way I am performing is the way I should be.

“I just try to play as well as I can. I have one game left here [at the Etihad, City’s home stadium]. I try to do my job as always, and I did that. I am proud of what I am doing.”

De Bruyne has always had a high work rate and physical attributes to go wth his talent. It is this combination that has seen him thrive at the top level in the Premier League and win every trophy available with Man City as one of the best players during the most successful period in the club’s history.

His creative stats are still off the charts. Per FBref, he is in the 99th percentile among players in his position in the Premier League for shot-creating actions, passes into the penalty area, expected assists, crosses, and touches in the final third (all per 90 minutes).

He’s in the 98th percentile for assists, 96th percentile for progressive passes, and 95th percentile for progressive passes received.

These stats paint a background picture of what an MLS team should expect from the current version of De Bruyne, who will turn 34 this summer. Watching him play this season confirms as much.

He has less physical capacity than in previous years, but the drive remains, and that is important for a player moving to MLS. They cannot take the league lightly and believe they can just hang around and produce with ease.

A Different Role

De Bruyne’s role out of possession is an important part of the change in his game. He is now more advanced and doesn’t roam much from that spot when defending, which should also help lessen the injury troubles he has had recently.

The pressing and defensive contribution is still there, but it’s in a smaller area, helped by teammates doing similar in their own areas across the field (which is ideal for any group of players regardless of their age).

De Bruyne once described himself as a free-eight, and he is now more suited to the “free” part of that than the “eight” part.

He is still effective when dropping deeper into midfield in possession when the situation calls for it, but out of possession, he is better operating in a smaller space than being box-to-box, as he might have been in the past.

A team signing him should focus on his creativity, set-piece delivery, and progressive passing. MLS loves a No. 10, and in De Bruyne, they would be getting one of the best.

He doesn’t come across as a traditional 10, but an MLS team that understands he’s now closer to this role than that of an all-action two-way midfielder or No. 8 would greatly benefit from his signing.

There are other caveats, including the fact that one player cannot transform a team and that De Bruyne has been playing alongside other world-class players at City, which enhanced his own game and complemented his talents, and this won’t be the case in MLS, where the standard is lower.

Some talented players from Europe have become frustrated with the drop in level on moving to MLS, and it hasn’t worked out for some as a result, but the best players can raise the level of those around them, and De Bruyne could be one of those.

How much the level is raised depends on the current state of the team he joins, and on that team’s understanding of the current De Bruyne.