Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has revealed his surprise in joining ‘legends’ Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo in the PFA record books.
Kevin De Bruyne became only the third player in history to win back-to-back PFA Player of the Year awards on Sunday.
The only two other players to achieve such a feat are Arsenal’s record goalscorer Thierry Henry and Manchester United great Cristiano Ronaldo.
Henry was the first star to win two PFA Player of the Year titles in a row back in the 2002/03 and 2003/04 seasons. Ronaldo followed suit in the 2006/07 and 2007/08 campaigns.
Only three Premier League players have won back-to-back PFA Players' Player of the Year awards:
Cristiano Ronaldo 🏆🏆
Thierry Henry 🏆🏆
Kevin De Bruyne 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/xtekpFVbHD— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 6, 2021
And now 13 years after Ronaldo equaled Henry, De Bruyne has joined the Premier League icons in the record books after winning the 2019/20 and 2020/21 PFA awards.
“It’s crazy, isn’t it?” said De Bruyne on Manchester City TV.
“You talk about two legends in the game. One of the best strikers and probably one of the top two players in the world ever. To do the same thing as them is actually crazy.”
The former Chelsea midfielder managed six goals and 12 assists in 25 appearances to help City win a third Premier League title in four seasons.
De Bruyne beat five other nominees in Manchester City teammates Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden, and Ruben Dias, along with Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes and Tottenham striker Harry Kane.