They did not concede a goal, but Manchester City received some of the worst possible news shortly after the first half hour of the game. After being treated on the pitch for muscle injuries, Kevin De Bruyne had no choice but to ask for a change. One of Pep Guardiola’s stars said goodbye to the Champions League final against Inter Milan 35 minutes into the game.
With a sorrowful look on his face, the ’17′ of the skyblues left the grass of the Atatürk stadium for the Spanish coach to bring on Phil Foden in his place.
The story, negative in this case, of Kevin de Bruyne with the European finals was repeated. In 2021, when Manchester City reached the first final of the greatest continental competition in its history, a hard clash with Antonio Rüdiger deprived the Belgian midfielder of playing the last 30 minutes of the game, when Pep Guardiola’s pupils were already losing 0-1 against Chelsea. Black-eyed and tearful, Kevin de Bruyne was also substituted in the first Champions League final of his career. Two years later, Fate once again ‘punishes’ the Belgian international in one of the most important matches of his career.
