Arsenal and England star Eberechi Eze has introduced Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne as his toughest opponent on the pitch.
Eze, who joined Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the summer for £60million, called Belgian icon De Bruyne the most intense Championship test he has ever faced.
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De Bruyne left Manchester for Napoli this summer, joining the reigning Serie A champions after a trophy-laden decade with the Blues which saw him win six Premier Leagues, two FA Cups and a UEFA Champions League title.
In a recent episode of GOAL Beast Mode activated podcast, Eze congratulated the former three-time winner. Reflecting on previous battles between the two men, he admitted that De Bruyne was often several steps ahead of his opponent, marking him as the toughest competitor of his Premier League career so far.
“I’m going to say that (Kevin) De Bruyne (was the toughest opponent), you know,” he told Adebayo Akinfenwa.
“Playing like he (De Bruyne), doing the things he has done for so long – yes, not easy. You can say he is a high-level thinker.
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“He’s the type of player I’ve looked up to since I was young, so he’s definitely a special player.
“Probably the player you play against, and you say to yourself: ‘He has solutions to problems that I haven’t even asked him yet’. He (De Bruyne) is a special guy.”
There was at one point an area of possibility in which Eze and De Bruyne could have crossed paths as compatriots at the Etihad Stadium.
The former QPR midfielder was among the options discussed internally at Manchester City in the summer of 2024 – while those behind the scenes were perhaps trying to plan for the future amid interest in De Bruyne from Saudi Arabia as he was about to enter the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium.
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Crystal Palace, however, were reluctant to lose such a special and important player within the team, especially after losing Michael Olise to Bayern Munich. An approach from Manchester City was therefore quickly rebuffed and City only strengthened their midfield in the recent window, with De Bruyne joining Napoli on a free transfer.
Eze remained in south London for the 2024-25 campaign – during which he was an integral part of their FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City – before landing a move to Arsenal in the following summer window, having established himself as one of the first names on Mikel Arteta’s team sheet since his arrival in north London.
