Former Dundalk manager Vinny Perth called Kevin de Bruyne one of the best footballers in the world right now after Manchester City’s 3-1 victory over Chelsea on Sunday.
De Bruyne captained his side to victory from the unfamiliar position of striker, scoring one of his side’s three goals.
Speaking on Off The Ball after the match, Perth suggested that there are very few players that he would start ahead of de Bruyne in any team in the world.
“I would be wrong to compare him to [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo,” Perth said. “They are two [completely different players].
“They have dominated world football for the past 10, 12 or 13 years. But Kevin de Bruyne, in many ways because of the age of the two of them, he would be your first choice in almost any other team in the world.
“Yes, Ronaldo is still scoring goals and Messi can still turn on the magic, but de Bruyne for me, when he is on form, is potentially the best player in the world and he will be over the next little while.”
Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne takes a shot during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, London, England, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Ian Walton/Pool)Highlighting his goal against Chelsea, Perth mentioned that de Bruyne often does extra work to put himself in a position to score, where as other players would simply watch the play.
“He has it all, he is a goal scorer, his work rate is phenomenal, and the goal he scored today is everything you should show a young kid,” Perth said.
“[Raheem] Stirling breaks from the halfway line and he is one on one with the goalkeeper, and most players would stand and admire and hope Stirling finishes.
“[De Bruyne] has run maybe 70-80 yards to end up in the box and when Stirling hits the posts and it bounced back, his first touch is just immaculate.
“He leaves the ball in front of him and he side foots it into an empty net. It looks like a simple finish, and you forget the hard work that is needed, that goes along with it.”
Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne walks on the pitch during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson, Pool)De Bruyne cares about the game
While it is obvious that Perth enjoys watching de Bruyne’s skill on the field, he suggested that it was the Belgian’s passion in matches that was his favourite quality.
“What I like about him the most is obviously his flair and his beautiful vision and his ability to find space,” Perth said.
“But it looks like he really cares about the game. You can see him giving out to his players about a miss placed pass to him out the back.
“I imagine he is a cranky player to play with in the sense of on the training ground; if his team is losing in the five-a-side, he is giving out.
“In many ways, all the best players are like that, so he looks like he has it all. If Man City can get players and get their centre half position fixed, he will shine as a result of it and it looks like that is what is happening.”
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