'Unique' De Bruyne only 'second-best' passer after Messi, says Guardiola
Pep Guardiola rates Kevin De Bruyne highly, saying there is only one player he has managed who is a better passer than the Belgian.
Pep Guardiola says Kevin De Bruyne is only behind Lionel Messi in his passing ability as his final Manchester City match approaches.
Last month, De Bruyne announced he would be leaving City at the end of the season when his contract runs out after 10 years at the Etihad Stadium.
He will have the chance to play on home turf for the final time when City host Bournemouth in their penultimate Premier League match of the season on Tuesday.
De Bruyne, who leaves the club having lifted 16 trophies, is ranked highly by Guardiola, who has also managed the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and David Silva during his time at Barcelona and City.
But the Spaniard believes that only one player ranks higher than De Bruyne in possession.
"One is Messi," said Guardiola. "And the other two, let me think about it... OK, let me put Kevin second.
"Messi is the best I have ever seen because Messi has done it really, really close to the box, but Kevin is there. It's just the stats, the goals, the assists, that he provides to the team in the final third and the talent.
"That is unique, that is why he has been one of the best players this club has had in the whole history. These are big, big words, because he has been a special player."
De Bruyne has made 258 league appearances under Guardiola, boasting an 82.4% passing accuracy during that period and has registered 109 assists.
He has made 12,889 passes, completing 10,622 of those. He also has an 80% passing accuracy in the opposition half.
Messi, meanwhile, made 136 LaLiga appearances under Guardiola at Barcelona, completing 6,354 of his 7,479 passes (85% accuracy). In that time, he registered 55 assists.
City had been linked with Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz and Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest as potential replacements for De Bruyne, though they have reportedly withdrawn their interest in the former.
Guardiola conceded, though, that it will be hard to find a replacement for the Belgian.
"There are players who are really, really difficult for many reasons, we know that," Guardiola added.
"But the season we have done is the season we have done - we cannot deny it. Of course, we have to move forward."