'I did what I had to do' - Kevin De Bruyne opens up on playing through pain to achieve Man City dream

Manchester City have suffered too much heartbreak in Europe to ever take anything for granted when it comes to the Champions League, but 10 months ago Kevin De Bruyne's wife sensed this was finally going to be their year.

The way the Blues exited last season's competition, conceding twice in injury time in the Bernabeu to throw away a winning position against Real Madrid in the semi-final, only fuelled the sense they were cursed when it came to Europe.

In Istanbul, De Bruyne had admitted 24 hours before their second final in three years that winning it was both a dream and an obsession, but as the Belgian spoke to reporters with a medal draped around his neck, he also knew he would have to go and tell wife Michele Lacroix that she had been right after all.

City's nervy 1-0 win against Inter Milan in Istanbul's Ataturk Stadium made them champions of Europe at last and delivered a historic treble, but Lacroix had never been concerned.

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"I don’t know why [but] my wife said in August ‘you’re going to win the Champions League’. I’ve no idea why but she always maintained I would," said De Bruyne.

"She said today [before the game] ‘I’m not worried. You’ll be fine, you’ll win it’. In the end it’s a little bit of a shame because I have to tell her she was right. So that’s not the best!"

It had turned into a night for some light-hearted fun, but the 90 minutes of football had often been painstaking for City. They didn't show their best version of themselves against an aggressive and dogged Inter side and only settled the game with Rodri's goal midway through the second half.

Just as in Porto two years ago, it was a frustrating night on the pitch for