Kevin De Bruyne drew level with Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney and surpassed Chelsea great Frank Lampard in the all-time Premier League assists charts with his game-winning cross in Manchester City’s 3-2 victory at Newcastle United on Saturday night.
The Belgium midfielder played his second game since returning from a four-month lay-off due to a hamstring injury as the Cityzens moved up to second in England’s top flight, scoring the equaliser from distance in the 74th minute after first-half strikes from Bernardo Silva, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon.
De Bruyne then grabbed his 103rd Premier League assist by clipping the ball in for young Norwegian Oscar Bobb, who controlled and finished in stylish fashion to seal all three points.
It was 32-year-old De Bruyne’s 101st league assist for Man City, having mustered two during his brief spell with Chelsea. He has now leapfrogged Lampard and will soon outright overtake former Man Utd and Everton attacker Rooney, with Spain icon Cesc Fabregas the next player in his sights.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder racked up 111 passes directly leading to goals during his time in England, though he is still a whopping 51 shy of all-time leader Ryan Giggs, who sits at the top of the standings with 162.
|
Pos |
Player |
Assists |
|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Ryan Giggs |
162 |
|
2. |
Cesc Fabregas |
111 |
|
3. |
Kevin De Bruyne |
103 |
|
4. |
Wayne Rooney |
103 |
|
5. |
Frank Lampard |
102 |
|
6. |
Dennis Bergkamp |
94 |
|
7. |
David Silva |
93 |
|
8. |
Steven Gerrard |
92 |
|
9. |
James Milner |
89 |
|
10. |
David Beckham |
80 |
|
11. |
Christian Eriksen |
75 |
|
12. |
Teddy Sheringham |
75 |
|
13. |
Thierry Henry |
74 |
|
14. |
Andy Cole |
73 |
|
15. |
Ashley Young |
71 |
Giggs played his entire professional career with Man Utd, featuring in each of the first 22 seasons of the Premier League. He made 632 appearances in the competition between 1992 and 2014, also scoring 109 goals.
De Bruyne is regarded as one of the great playmakers of his generation and has hit double figures for assists in five separate Premier League seasons. He has won five league titles under Pep Guardiola as well as two FA Cups, five League Cups and last season’s Champions League crown.
The former Wolfsburg star may hope to make his first start since returning from injury when Man City visit Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday 26 January.
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