Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has won the 2022-23 Premier League Playmaker of the Year award.
The 31-year-old, who is widely regarded as one of the best playmakers to have graced the English top flight, claims the prize after registering 16 assists in 32 appearances, and played an integral role in the Citizens winning a fifth title in six seasons.
De Bruyne was unable to increase his assist tally on the final day of the season as he was left out of the matchday squad for City's 1-0 defeat away against Brentford on Sunday.
Nevertheless, the Belgium international picks up the Playmaker award for the third time and is the only player in Premier League history to win the accolade more than once having received the inaugural prize in 2017-18 and his second in 2019-20.
De Bruyne also finished top of the assists charts in 2016-17 and he is the only player in Premier League history to end a campaign with the most assists on four separate occasions.
💬 Here to assist you...@KevinDeBruyne wins the @Castrol Playmaker award for 2022/23! pic.twitter.com/XMeYsNmozw
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 28, 2023
City's No.17 finishes four assists clear at the top of the charts this season ahead of Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah and Arsenal attacker Leandro Trossard – formerly of Brighton & Hove Albion – who both provided 12 Premier League assists.
Eight of De Bruyne's assists were provided for Golden Boot winner Erling Braut Haaland, who scored a record-breaking 36 Premier League goals in his debut campaign for the Citizens.
The Belgian has now completed eight seasons at the Etihad Stadium and has provided a total of 102 Premier League assists, the joint-fourth most in the competition's history along with Frank Lampard.
In April, De Bruyne became the quickest player in Premier League history to notch up a century of assists, reaching the milestone in just 237 games.
De Bruyne, who has provided a total of 26 assists in all competitions so far this term, is expected to play a crucial role in Pep Guardiola's side as they chase down a historic treble, with an FA Cup final against rivals Manchester United next Saturday followed by a Champions League showdown with Inter Milan on June 10.
Oliver Thomas
