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Manchester City star Kyle Walker recently claimed that Kevin De Bruyne was in the same bracket as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and fans slammed him for the comparison.
In an interview with FIFPRO, Walker heaped praise on his City teammate. He even went as far as putting De Bruyne in the same league as Messi and Ronaldo, saying (via FIFPRO on X):
"Kevin is just Kevin. I think there are only certain players, the likes of Messi, Ronaldo that can probably, you can say, are in the same bracket with Kevin. Kevin, you know, goes in that bracket for me."
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Several fans, however, weren't impressed with his comments. De Bruyne has long established himself among the best midfielders for all his accomplishments, but the general consensus is that Messi and Ronaldo are in a league of their own.
On X, Walker was slammed for drawing parallels between De Bruyne and the GOATs, with one user saying that the former isn't even up to Zinedine Zidane's level. Another one admitted that while the Belgian is a "great player", he shouldn't be compared to either Messi or Ronaldo.
Here are some of the best reactions on X:
Kevin De Bruyne will go down as one of the greatest midfielders
As far as midfielders go, few are better than Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian's stats speak for themselves - 144 goals and 239 assists from 589 games in his club career, with another 26 goals and 49 assists with Belgium in 99 games.
A creative wizard capable of turning a match around with one defense-splitting pass or impeccable set-piece delivery, De Bruyne's skills have been well documented. His performances for Manchester City, in particular, have been the most telling.
The midfielder has been at the heart of all their title glory since joining the side in 2015, lifting 14 trophies, including the Premier League five times and the Champions League once.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo might have set more records, but in his position, Kevin De Bruyne is certainly the best right now, and one of the best of the 21st century.
