At Manchester City, Kyle Walker had the privilege of playing with a whole host of players who can be considered as some of the finest footballers to have ever graced the game.
Kevin De Bruyne is a name that instantly springs to mind, considering there is a strong case to suggest that he is the greatest midfielder in Premier League history.
Paul Scholes considers David Silva as Manchester City’s greatest-ever player, who was another truly remarkable player.
Walker noted Vincent Kompany’s unique “aura” that made him an outstanding captain and as a defender, the Belgian raised the bar season after season.
Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany, Fernandinho and David Silva posing with the Carabao Cup trophy
Photo by Kieran Galvin/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Kyle Walker says Kevin De Bruyne is in the ‘same bracket’ as Kylian Mbappe
After having completed a move to Burnley, Kyle Walker now has the time to reflect on his incredible spell at Manchester City.
Walker dubbed De Bruyne as “brilliant” and Erling Haaland as “clinical” during his first interview at Turf Moor.
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Speaking on The Kyle Walker Podcast, the Englishman reserved special praise for the Belgian once again, claiming he is up there with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar: “Kevin, for me, has always got to be in it. You know, your Neymar’s, your Mbappe’s…he’s in that bracket.”
Kyle Walker explains why Kevin De Bruyne belongs in the same bracket as Mbappé and Neymar 👏
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“He’s got to be. What has he not won? What can he not do? The amount of assists that he delivers season in, season out, the goals, the important goals.”
Kevin De Bruyne stats compared to Kylian Mbappe
De Bruyne is a legend of the game and perhaps many might agree with Walker’s opinion about him being in the same bracket as Mbappe.
However, some might resort to stats to compare the two.
CAREER STATS KEVIN DE BRUYNE KYLIAN MBAPPE
APPEARANCES 762 516
GOALS 184 387
ASSISTS 313 167
Based on the numbers, Mbappe has the edge over De Bruyne, registering 554 goal involvements (387 goals and 167 assists) while the latter has 497 to his name (184 goals and 313 assists).
However, the Frenchman is a forward while the Napoli new-boy is a number 10, who has also played deeper, which is why their respective goal contributions cannot be used as the only metric to compare them as players.