Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne will leave the club – and likely the Premier League – at the end of the season following 10 trophy-laden seasons at the Etihad Stadium
Kevin De Bruyne, the metronome of Manchester City’s midfield, announced he’ll be leaving the Etihad Stadium when the season curtains fall. It wasn’t exactly a bombshell – De Bruyne’s future has been up in the air for months – but that won’t make it any less of a gut punch for the adoring City faithful.
The Belgian maestro, who’s danced across Premier League pitches since 2015, leaves behind a legacy drenched in silverware: six league titles, a Champions League crown, and a staggering 166 assists that often turned matches into artwork.
Pep Guardiola called him “one of the greatest” to grace England’s top flight, a sentiment echoed by supporters, pundits, team-mates and even opponents who’ve watched him thread passes like a seamstress with a golden needle for a decade.
De Bruyne’s departure marks the end of an era, but the 33-year-old – soon to be 34 in June – isn’t done yet. Here, Mirror Football dives into his fortune, his love story, and what might be next for this ginger-haired genius.
Net worth
De Bruyne’s bank account rivals his trophy cabinet – both are impressively stacked. With an estimated net worth of £55million ($70m), according to Celebrity Net Worth, the Belgium international has built a fortune worthy of a man who’s been the heartbeat of Guardiola’s title-hoovering machine.
Since 2021, De Bruyne has been pocketing a jaw-dropping £400,000 per week – more than anyone else in the Premier League. Before that, he earned £280,000-a-week from 2018 to 2021, up from the £150,000-a-week deal he signed when he joined the Citizens.
Off the field, his financial game is just as strong. Lucrative endorsement deals with Nike, EA Sports, and a McDonald’s campaign in Belgium have padded his income nicely.
Sliding into wife’s DMs
They say behind every great man is a great woman – and for De Bruyne, that woman is Michele Lacroix. Their modern-day love story kicked off in true digital fashion.
Back in 2013, while De Bruyne was on loan from Chelsea at Werder Bremen, his ‘game’ off the pitch wasn’t nearly as polished as it was on it. Encouraged by a friend, he took a shot and slid into Michele’s Twitter DMs.
That message turned out to be a game-changer – and the beginning of a love story that would grow alongside his rise to the summit of German, and later, English football. “A friend told me a footballer was talking about me,” Michele once revealed, recalling how De Bruyne’s charm won her over quickly.
“It started with a tweet,” De Bruyne remembered. “I only had a few thousand followers at the time, because I was still on loan at Werder Bremen. So I tweeted something about a match or whatever, and this pretty girl favourited it.
“I was single at the time, and my friend noticed it. So he said, ‘She looks like a nice girl, no? You should send her a message.’ And I literally said to him, ‘No, no, no. Come on. People don’t like me. They don’t get me. She won’t respond.’
“So he grabbed my phone and started tapping out a message. He showed me the phone and said, ‘Come on, can I hit send?’ I was probably on the floor, cringing, but for some reason I said, ‘Okay fine, send it.’
“Says it all, no? I’m supposed to be this big footballer, and I didn’t even have the heart to slide into my future wife’s DMs! I didn’t dare! But thankfully, he sent the message for me, and she responded. We got to know each other over text for a few months.
“It’s a lot easier for me once I get to know someone, so after that, I was good. It really was a beautiful thing. She changed my life in so many ways. Honestly, I don’t know what I would do without her.
They started dating in 2014, and three years later they were hitched, thanks a romantic proposal under the Eiffel Tower in 2016, followed by a lavish Italian wedding a few months later. The couple now have three children: Mason, Rome, and Suri.
De Bruyne’s next club
De Bruyne’s exit from City may be confirmed, but his next destination remains a mystery. While the thought of adding him to their squad would have any manager licking their lips, his hefty wages and recent battles with injuries could narrow the field of suitors.
Clubs in the Saudi Pro League have emerged as strong contenders, having held talks with his representatives in the past and offering the kind of lucrative deals that could tempt a player of his calibre. Across the Atlantic, Major League Soccer has been mentioned, with San Diego FC once linked to him, though that move now seems less likely.
Closer to home, European giants like Inter Milan and Bayern Munich – currently managed by De Bruyne’s former City team-mate Vincent Kompany – could provide a fitting stage for his later years, offering competitive football without the intensity of the Premier League.
There’s also talk of a storybook homecoming, either at Wolfsburg – where he spent 18 fabulous months and won the Bundesliga Player of the Year award – or back in his native Belgium.
De Bruyne himself hinted at his plans in November, saying, “As long as I feel I can make a difference, I can play at the top level.” Wherever he ends up, his next chapter, like all those that came before it, promises to be one worth watching.
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