Castrol Game Changer Award nominee - Kevin De Bruyne | OneFootball

has been nominated for the new Castrol Game Changer award - which will be awarded to the player with the single most game-changing performance during the 2021/22 Premier League Season.

Click here to vote for your 2021/2022 Castrol Premier League Game Changer.

To call Kevin De Bruyne a Game Changer is somewhat of an understatement.

We're talking about one of the world's top talents, a member of the Premier League's elite and someone who consistently puts in stunning performances to the point that it almost feels normal for the 30-year-old.

The fact that his showing in Manchester City's victory at Wolves stands out should speak volumes of just how impressive it was.

Within just seven minutes, it became clear that this would be De Bruyne’s night. A delicious flick found Bernardo Silva but before the ball even reached its destination, the Belgian was on the move as he charged into the box, demanding a through ball before firing through Jose Sa like a hot knife through butter.

It was a breathtaking move and one which set the tempo for the game. Four minutes later and Wolves were level - Leander Dendoncker finishing off a counter and sending a warning to City that they weren't going to walk all over their hosts.

The problem for Wolves is that City did, and that's all down to De Bruyne.

In the blink of an eye, De Bruyne was celebrating again. Oleksandr Zinchenko played him in and the Belgian actually looked to set up Raheem Sterling, but such was his influence on the game, the ricochet gravitated into his path and he made no mistake from 12 yards. Even when it wasn't going right, it was going right.

The one-two punch suddenly became a one-two-three as De Bruyne completed a 24-minute hat-trick. A powerful drive from midfield, a fizzing strike from range - just another example of how unplayable he was.

To crown it off, the Erling Haaland celebration took the moment to a new level. It was footballing wizardry and an image that would send social media wild.

Wolves have boasted one of the Premier League's fiercest defences during 2021/22, with Sa posting some impressive stats in goal, yet De Bruyne breezed through them at times as if they weren't even there.

His fourth goal came 36 minutes later, this time courtesy of a nice move with Phil Foden and a thumping finish, and taught the world that De Bruyne isn’t just an assist machine, he’s a Game Changer who can influence games in any way he sees fit.