ATATURK OLYMPIC STADIUM, ISTANBUL — Kevin De Bruyne has laid on 12 assists for Manchester City goal-machine Erling Haaland this season.
The combination between the goalscoring phenomenon and the Premier League champions’ long-standing assist king is one that many of a sky-blue persuasion will be hoping can take down Internazionale in Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final.
So, was it love at first sight between the two potent attackers?
“No, no. I’m happy with my wife,” De Bruyne quipped.
It generally doesn’t take much to get a laugh in a press-conference setting and, as such, the City playmaker had a packed auditorium at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium virtually rolling in the aisles before returning to an analysis of what makes him and Haaland tick.
“It’s something that I can’t really explain – you just have a feeling with a player,” he said. “You understand what he wants, he understands what I can do.
“He started scoring at an incredible rate, it helped him settle. Even in the last games he’s been really important for us in different ways.”
Ah, yes. Those last games. Haaland has scored a mind-bending 52 goals in all…
