The article celebrates Kevin De Bruyne's passing brilliance, illustrated by a particularly remarkable assist during a match against Stoke in October 2017. De Bruyne's ability to make unexpected passes, even ones he couldn't see, highlights his unique talent. In this instance, he slipped a ball into space for Leroy Sane, who set up Raheem Sterling for a goal, despite De Bruyne having his back to the play. The author reflects on the mix of intuition and unpredictability in De Bruyne's gameplay, underscoring the magic of his performances as a professional athlete.
De Bruyne shapes to cross, but at the last minute he slips the ball into the left channel for Sane, who has doubled back on himself and is sprinting towards the left byline. This pass took out five Stoke players.
The genius of De Bruyne was that you were never quite sure. Great athletes generate not just awe, but disbelief: the what is stunning enough, but the beauty somehow lies in the how.
Was it intuition? Had they rehearsed the move in advance? Was it a punt? Was it blind luck? De Bruyne's ultimate pass leaves us questioning how he knew to make a play.
To watch De Bruyne at his best was to glimpse the point at which sport lapses into something close to pure magic.
Collection
[
|
...
]