🏆 Ballon d'OneFootball: In 3rd place is ... | OneFootball

Welcome to the fourth annual edition of the Ballon d’OneFootball as we begin our countdown of the top 25 players in the world right now. Here’s an explainer how we decided on a top 25.

Here’s the list so far.

And today we have …

3rd: Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City and Belgium

(Last year: 6th)

The treble-winner.

Much of Manchester City’s all-conquering, all-dismantling success over the recent years can be attributed to the genius of Pep Guardiola, but the second one in line to receive some flowers should be Kevin De Bruyne for all he has given the club.

His role in the City team may change, but the 32-year-old’s impact on the team doesn’t dwindle – the master creator playing the eye of the needle through balls to split open the opposition defence combined with galloping like a gazelle through the middle of the pitch.

The Belgian has it all in his locker: an engine, a ferocious shot, dynamism and there’s not many players in the world who can boast the same abilities he has to unlock an opposition defence.

No player managed more Premier League assists than De Bruyne in 2022/23 with his total of 18 only being bettered twice by other players in Premier League history, Mesut Özil in 2015/16 (19) and Thierry Henry in 2002/03 (20).

A further 13 assists in the Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup takes his total to 31 for the campaign, added to his 10 goals means De Bruyne had a truly phenomenal season when it comes to pure numbers.

The Champions League final may not have gone his way on a personal level as he had to leave the pitch injured in the first-half but if it wasn’t for his intervention at the Bernabéu in the semi-final then his team might not have got there.

Guardiola tinkered with his position midway through the campaign and De Bruyne benefitted from a move further upfield when City’s new-John-Stones-as-defender-and-midfielder-system came to fruition.

It brought out the best in De Bruyne’s partnership with Erling Haaland which really blossomed as City clicked into gear after the World Cup.

26 of the 98 chances created by De Bruyne were to the feet of the Norwegian – a lethal combination, as the league goalscoring records now show.

Manchester City completed football in 2022/23, becoming the first English side since Manchester United in 1998 to complete the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophy.

De Bruyne is that good that he can even shout at his treble-winning manager, such as when he told him to ‘shut up’ during the Champions League semi-final win over Real Madrid.

“We shout at each other and I like it,” Guardiola explained. “I like this energy. It’s not the first time. You don’t see but he shouts at me in training. This is what we need.

“After that he becomes the best.”

He’s not wrong.

Click here for every player named so far and their profiles.