De Bruyne: “I have never experienced so much pain”

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne attended the media ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final return leg against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu. The Belgian will go into the game with his injury problems behind him. He confessed “han sido meses muy duros porque nunca antes había sentido tanto dolor”.

What to expect in the second leg against Madrid: “It’s two attacking teams, who like to play football and I think we played a very good game back then [in the first leg] but obviously that’s in the past. Now we have a different game ahead tomorrow and it starts back at 0-0 so we’ll need to get our A-game to win”.

What would winning the Champions League mean to City? “It would change the perspective from our side. As a player, you want to win the trophies and we want this one. I think the fact that we’ve been fighting for it for numerous years and getting to the latter stages means that we’ve been doing really well. Obviously, it’s a cup competition and the quality is very high so it’s very difficult to win it and there are different circumstances that happen, but if you look back at how we have performed in the last seven years, we’ve done really well. If we win it, it would change that little narrative.

Do you need to win it to get the acclaim the team deserves for all of the trophies you have won? ”For myself. It doesn’t change the perspective of how I look at myself as a player. I know what I have done: good and bad in my career. I’m pretty happy with what I have done. But obviously, I want to win every trophy I can but that’s a hard task. I would obviously love to win the Champions League also”.

Memories of the 2016 semi-final against Madrid: “I think we are in better shape now. I remember when we played that game, we didn’t have the greatest of ends of seasons, and Madrid was the powerhouse at that time. I know we lost 1-0 in the end with an own-goal. But I think it was a pretty boring game if I remember correctly. I think we are better set up as a team, we play better and we have more experience in this stage - it was the first time ever for the club. Hopefully, we are better prepared.”.

Guardiola’s influence on big European nights: “No matter what game we play, we are well prepared anyway - whether it’s the League Cup against a lower league side, it’s the same amount of detail. It’s easier to watch a Madrid game on TV than to watch a team from the lower leagues. Whatever the game, we want to win - obviously more people are talking about this game but the amount of detail is pretty much the same”.

Development under Guardiola: “He’s helped me to progress in various different ways but it’s hard to say if I would be not like I am under other managers. He’s done amazing things for me and for the team to get success. But I think the players also work very hard to achieve that. If we don;t want to listen or work hard, we won’t get better. It’s a combination of everything. In a way, I am lucky to come across a manager who plays the way that I like to play – that makes it a little more handy for me. He doesn’t really look at individual basis – it’s whatever suits the team. I have played mostly the same positions but in various ways. It depends from game to game: sometimes, I have been lower back, at other times higher; this year I’ve been more the middle… Whatever the team needs, I’m ok with and I try to help the team how I can”.

The best De Bruyne we have ever seen: “You guys can tell me, I don’t know. The first months were really hard. I’d never experienced the pain I experienced that I had back then. I was trying to come back but I was in pain with my ankle every day. It wasn’t something I enjoyed at the time. Mentally, it was hard also to overcome that but once the pain was gone after a couple months, I started to feel more confident in myself, in my body and get back to where I think I belong. Now playing all these games week in, week out, I feel back at the level I was at before. Is there much difference? I don’t know. I just try to be as constant as I can and this year, I have managed myself pretty well”.

City’s place in Europe: “I think we are in a very good way. The fact we have not won it yet is the only criticism we can get. The rest, we have been there loads of times, fighting to win this competition. Our consistency has been amazing - as good as anyone else. We just need to get over the line and tomorrow’s game is another step”.

Phil Foden’s progress: “He’s been amazing. I’ve watched him since he was a little boy with massive potential. Whenever you come up into the first team you are a little bit shy and it takes a little bit of time, more playing time too to get comfortable in that situation. For the last two years, he has been very comfortable and you see the difference in the way he plays. Now he’s not that young talent anymore, he’s one of the guys. It’s a big step to take, but now, everybody looks at him to make a difference - because he can. He’s proven that loads of times and he probably will do much, much more for this club in the future. I am hoping that he just continues doing the same as he has been doing. He doesn’t play with ups and downs he just does what he needs to do for the team”.

Gabriel Jesús in top form, allowing him to take a penalty in the Watford game: “At that moment, I thought it was the right decision. So I just told Gabi, you can take it, I have full confidence in you. For him it’s important, for me, I don’t care if I score that penalty - that goal won’t get me any further in what I want to achieve. But for him, I know if he gets a hat trick it’s special, it’s important for strikers to score goals. Besides that, he’s been amazing. I have had a good relationship with him since he came here. He plays with so much energy, he’s always there, he helps the team out. I have never had any doubts about his quality, and he’s still so young so I hope he can play for a long time with me because I think he makes this team better”.

City firing on all cylinders, the best team in the world? “I think if we play the way that we played last week, then we have the potential to be one of the best teams but we have to do that tomorrow night. But again, if we are a little bit below that, there is a possibility that Madrid could win this game. Because they are also one of the best teams in the world, the quality they have is amazing. But I also back my team to perform at the high level that will be necessary to win tomorrow’s game. It’s a game that everybody wants to see, everybody is anticipating a great game and we will try to get the best out of ourselves - hopefully to progress to Paris”.