There have been many great Premier League midfielders - but Kevin de Bruyne sits at the head of the table

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In his story "Let Me Talk" on The Players' Tribune website, Kevin De Bruyne narrates how Pep Guardiola assured him that he could be one of the top five best players in the world.

The pair celebrated the Champions League victory in Istanbul last season, capping off more than 8 years of ultimate success.

Unfortunately, he limped off in that game with a hamstring injury that he was rushed back from in time for the new season. The Belgian only went and aggravated that injury in City’s first Premier League match of the season against Burnley, with an operation required. This has seen him watch most of this season so far from the sidelines.

His long-awaited return was announced by Jurgen Klopp at the beginning of this year, when he said "Kevin de Bruyne is warming up and the whole country is shaking."

After his return from a hamstring injury, De Bruyne put in a clutch performance off the bench against Newcastle at St. James' Park. The Belgian international scored the equaliser only 5 minutes after coming on, before assisting the winner in the 90th minute. The quality of the goal and assist and the fact that the two came at such a critical time of the game, have sparked a debate as to whether Kevin De Bruyne is the best Premier League midfielder of all time.

The numbers don't lie - the assist King is joint third in the all-time assist chart in the Premier League, even in fewer games than all the rest. At Manchester City, he has won all trophies there are to win in his club career and has also put in some excellent performances at national level. All these have seen him nominated for the Ballon D'Or multiple times and he has made the FIFPro eleven four times, putting him only one behind John Terry and one above Steven Gerrard.

One special thing about KDB is that he has stepped up in big games at the top level. We cannot forget his performances against Arsenal , Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, which were all pivotal in the historic Treble winning season. De Bruyne has also led the assist charts in the Premier league for four seasons and won the PFA Player of the season twice.

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The only individual award he is yet to win at Man City is the Premier League Player of the Month. And it surprises many that he hasn't. But what distinguishes him from the rest of the great Premier League midfielders?

On paper, he has the ultimate footballing brain. He is able to anticipate and execute unreal passes in the final third, most recently illustrated with his last-minute assist for Oscar Bobb. The CFG academy graduate even said, "he is the only one who can do that in the whole world," and there's no doubt about that.

De Bruyne also poses an unreal threat in transition to all opposition teams given his speed, accuracy and unpredictability. He has also scored beautiful goals- a lot of them- from distance and from inside the box. His recent goal against Newcastle is the perfect example.

The no.17 also plays a significant role in Pep Guardiola's team, which has struggled a bit this season in his absence as they could not find a perfect replacement in his role in midfield. You could witness that against Newcastle that there's only one player in the squad with his capabilities.

Over the past months, there has been a debate about who City's most important player is. A very strong argument can be made for Rodri because of City's relatively poor performance in his absence this season. But De Bruyne has shown he is head and shoulders above the rest when he is on the pitch. Much as it is hard to compare the significance of the two, it is important to appreciate the difference they make when they are both on the pitch.

The two midfielders combined for City's equaliser at the weekend, hence signifying that Man City is a team built on teamwork rather than individual brilliance. Comparing De Bruyne's importance to Rodri's in this Man City team is like comparing Xavi and Andres Iniesta in prime Barça.

But back to the big question; is KDB the best midfielder of all time in the Premier League? This is a tough question but I will attempt to answer it. The list of midfielders to compare him with makes it even more complicated.

Steven Gerrard? What a player! His individual destruction of prime AC Milan in Istanbul in the Champions League final 2005 runs fresh in most football fans' minds. Albeit Gerrard did not win the Premier League for Liverpool whereas the Belgian has won it all with the Sky Blues.

It now comes to their ability on the ball, in which De Bruyne reigns supreme. Gerrard's most significant trait was long range shooting, and De Bruyne can do that. To cut a long story short, De Bruyne can do all Gerrard could do, but Gerrard couldn't do all De Bruyne can do.

Next on the list is Frank Lampard. The Chelsea legend, who also played at City for a very short time, is one of the best players ever in the English top flight. Lampard could do it all, passing, shooting and producing game winning moments. His numbers don't lie.

The only distinguishing factor here is De Bruyne's talent and his ability to do what Lampard did in fewer games. The Man City vice captain has also won more trophies than his former Chelsea teammate.

The last one on this list is, of course, Paul Scholes from City's bitter rivals Manchester United. Scholes spent his entire career at the Reds, with his long range passing and tempo dictation has earned him praise from football greats, including Guardiola, who ranks him the best among the three English men. Scholes' vision was unreal. You can't describe De Bruyne's vision because he sees what everyone else can't see on the pitch.

In a nutshell, it is very difficult to compare players from different generations and playing different roles for their teams. Of the four, De Bruyne is the midfielder who passes the best, has the best vision and has the best trophy cabinet. The best midfielder debate could even extend to footballing history, and he would still stake a significant claim of being the best.

All in all, we should acknowledge the fact that as football fans, we are witnessing greatness in the wake of Kevin De Bruyne. It is interesting to see what he still has in store for the final part of this season and subsequent years.

A lot has been said this week about his future at Man City, most notably about the possibility that he may retire at the Etihad. Until then, the living legend continues.

Oh Kevin De Bruyne.

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