Kevin De Bruyne can call on 2020 Bernabeu performance to power Man City past Real Madrid

With a quick look up at Thibaut Courtois, a puff of the cheeks and a short run-up, Kevin De Bruyne had silenced the raucous Santiago Bernabeu.

Manchester City’s captain for the night, the Belgian and his ten other teammates knew the Champions League was their only chance of any major silverware that season. By February in the 2019/20 campaign, the Blues had already picked up their hat-trick of Carabao Cups, but Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool were quickly running away with the Premier League title and the reigning champions’ injury list was continuing to pile up.

After the usual procession in the group stages, City were drawn against 13-time winners Real Madrid in the last-16. And travelling out to the Spanish capital, the Blues knew they were coming up against the most experienced side in the competition.

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Fitness and injury issues forced Pep Guardiola into deploying a rather unusual starting XI – with Gabriel Jesus at left-wing and Bernardo Silva up-front – but De Bruyne’s presence in the heart of midfield was a constant. The former Chelsea man’s performance was crucial in City taking anything from the game into the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.

In a cauldron-like atmosphere, De Bruyne conducted proceedings right from the off and proved to everyone why he is one of the best footballers on the planet. From tracking back to springing counter-attacks with a single pass, his display was a sight to behold.

City created numerous chances in the first 60 minutes, but failed to make any count – something that’s become quite a trend recently. The quality of Real Madrid made them pay soon after, with Isco opening the scoring. When many Blue