Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 1-2 during the Premier League match between City and Crystal Palace
Kevin De Bruyne delivered a fine performance as Manchester City beat Crystal Palace
It hasn't been the farewell to Manchester City that Kevin De Bruyne wanted. The exit door has appeared sooner than the Belgian was ready for, and as it swung open a month ago there really wasn't much left to get excited about.
A last game at the Etihad, where 50,000 fans that have loved him every other week for the last decade, will come on a Tuesday evening at home to Bournemouth. City's final game of the season will be away to Fulham.
Neither of these games contain excitement since Pep Guardiola's side haven't been good enough this season to challenge for the Premier League title. In fact, both have jeopardy on them as the Blues could kick off against Bournemouth in sixth place and have yet to secure Champions League football for next season.
De Bruyne's farewell will certainly not be the main story in these games and risks being seriously overshadowed if results do not go as City would like them to. Already leaving without the league title, the 34-year-old could be saying goodbye after the club's worst finish since before he joined.
That only makes the FA Cup Final an even bigger opportunity. For all that De Bruyne is not the player he was, for all that City are not the team they were, Wembley glory is still just 90 minutes from their grasp.
City's No.17 has been playing with a point to prove since he announced the news that he would be leaving, and he is also due a star turn at the home of football. He was an unused substitute in the semi-final win over Nottingham Forest, and in last year's final defeat to United he was so poor that he was hooked before an hour has passed.
De Bruyne hasn't had a great record in finals, with injury forcing him off early in both Champions League finals that City have reached. That has helped to contribute to the ludicrous notion that he doesn't do enough in big games.
In fact, the evidence for his contributions on the big stages in the Premier League and Champions League is irrefutable as he has dragged the Blues to more titles than other clubs have won in total. When City have needed somebody to step up, more often than not it has been him.
Even if De Bruyne won't get to go out on his own terms, a matchwinning turn against Palace on Saturday will be a way for him to cement his legacy as one of the best players ever to grace English football. That would ensure he goes on on a high whatever happens in the league.
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