🦁 Premier League Player of the Week: Last moments of a legend | OneFootball

This was the weekend that Liverpool basically secured the Premier League title (again) and the bottom three sent themselves packing back to the Championship (again).

And so with that in mind, our Player of the Week is ...

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

📸 PAUL ELLIS - AFP or licensors

"These will be my final months in a Manchester City shirt," Kevin De Bruyne wrote via his social media accounts just 10 days ago.

Rumours had been circulating since January that the Belgium international was set to leave the Etihad once his contract expires at the end of the current campaign.

The news though, on that Friday morning, still hit fans in east Manchester like a tonne of bricks.

It's not exaggeration to say that the former Chelsea and Wolfsburg man is the best midfielder in the Premier League and potentially its greatest foreign import.

Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah acolytes will of course argue for their favourite, but the fact that De Bruyne is even amongst that conversation tells you how influential he has been over the past decade.

De Bruyne has been a player of supreme technique, intelligence and class over the past 10 years and all of that was on display as City beat Crystal Palace 5-2 this weekend.

It was De Bruyne's world class free kick that set City on the path to victory with the reigning champions having struggled to stem the waves of Palace attacks in the opening half hour.

Eberechi Eze and Chris Richards had given the south London club a two-goal advantage before De Bruyne's sensational strike from the edge of the area turned the tide in City's favour.

Pep Guardiola's side equalised just before half time and then took the lead after the break as De Bruyne turned calmly inside the area and teed up Mateo Kovačić for their third.

That the Croatian playmaker went straight over to De Bruyne in celebration told you all you needed to know about the assist and of his reverence amongst the City squad.

James McAtee would cap off the victory with City's fifth late on and when asked after the game whether the English youngster could potentially fill the boots of De Bruyne, coach Pep Guardiola was incredulous with his response.

"No-one can do what Kevin has done," said the City boss.

"Kevin has a unique talent, a vision in the pass. When the players are up front and Kevin has the ball, they know they can run because the ball will be delivered."

City fans now have three more opportunities to enjoy this greatest of talents before he slips off into the sunset as a true all-timer.

📸 Justin Setterfield - 2025 Getty Images