Kevin De Bruyne: Psychologist breaks down Man City playmaker's epic passing ability

After a closely fought 180 minutes of football across two matches, it was Kevin De Bruyne’s cool finish in the first leg that proved the difference between Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final tie.

The Belgian playmaker is pivotal to how Pep Guardiola’s side operates – and not just when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net.

De Bruyne’s ability to pick a pinpoint pass to his teammates with either foot makes him a unique threat. His vision when playing those balls across varying distances is also sublime.

Often, it appears that De Bruyne can see angles and gaps that others don’t.

Football psychologist Geir Jordet has offered an explanation behind De Bruyne’s phenomenal capabilities, having tracked the midfielder’s every movement and reaction during the first leg of City’s tie with Atletico Madrid last week.

Jordet released his findings via a Twitter thread on Thursday, which has since gone viral.

“De Bruyne has an extraordinary awareness and ability to deliver decisive goals & assists,” the noted researcher begins.

Kevin De Bruyne has an extraordinary awareness and ability to deliver decisive goals & assists.What can we learn about his vision from studying his scanning?We had a camera focused on him in the 1st leg vs Atlético Madrid. Here is what we found.Thread. 1/10 @PickxSports pic.twitter.com/3vEgIq4vhw

According to Jordet’s study, one of the key behaviours employed by De Bruyne to obtain an edge over his opposition is that he is continually scanning his surroundings for relevant information.

“De Bruyne scans the pitch prior to receiving the ball with a rate of 0.45 scans/second, thus 4-5 scans every 10 seconds. This is high for a player in his role. He constantly