Manchester City 3 - 1 Bournemouth

Kevin De Bruyne had an emotional farewell at the Etihad 

He received a heartfelt send-off at the Etihad Stadium, marking what is expected to be his final home appearance for Manchester City. 

Author - Macca

The 33-year-old midfielder, who will leave the club this summer, was honoured with the announcement that a statue will be erected outside the ground in his name.

De Bruyne, who started City's 3–1 win over Bournemouth, endured a subdued ending to his final home outing. He missed a guilt-edged chance in the first half and was later substituted following Mateo Kovacic’s red card. It was not the fitting finale many had hoped for, but it did little to dampen the emotion of the evening.

Speaking after the match, De Bruyne told the crowd that he enjoyed his time with the club and hoped that the crowd enjoyed him.

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His decade at the club has been nothing short of transformative. Since arriving in 2015, De Bruyne has lifted 16 major honours, becoming a symbol of City's era of dominance and one of the Premier League’s all-time great midfielders.

As the final whistle blew, attention turned to celebration. Players, staff and fans paid tribute to a man who has defined so much of City’s recent success.

A celebration worthy of a modern great

City still had business to attend to on the night, needing three points to boost their Champions League hopes for next season, and they delivered. But once the job was done, the evening belonged to De Bruyne.

The atmosphere outside the Etihad captured the scale of the occasion. Scarves bearing his name were on sale at every corner, supporters wore his number proudly, and the matchday programme featured an illustration of De Bruyne wearing the Premier League crown.

The club marked the moment further with a mosaic at the academy and the naming of a road in his honour. A large mural of De Bruyne now also adorns a wall in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, a nod to the artistry he brought to the pitch.

While Bruce Springsteen performed across the way at Co-op Live, the main event in Manchester was taking place at the Etihad. For City fans, this was the night they said goodbye to a player who changed their club forever.