3 ways that Kevin De Bruyne and Lionel Messi would complement each other | OneFootball

April has revolved around one name and one name only for MLS: Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian midfielder recently made an announcement to his social media which sent shockwaves around the soccer sphere, in that he would leave Manchester City upon the expiration of his contract this summer.

Without a doubt, Kevin De Bruyne is a Manchester City legend. Since arriving from Wolfsburg in 2015, the midfielder has won six Premier League trophies, two FA Cups and one Champions League. So, it is fair to say that he's won everything in sight in the North of England.

After a decade of service, Kevin De Bruyne has given everything he can possibly give to the Citizens. However, he is yet to give everything he can give to this sport, so fans worldwide are glued to his situation and eager to find out where he will sign.

Well, those beady-eyed with all things MLS will already know that one club has an advantage and it's, unsurprisingly, Inter Miami. Paul Tenorio of The Athletic recently claimed that Inter Miami holds discovery rights to Kevin De Bruyne. This means the Floridian side has first dibs of any MLS club when to negotiate a contract for Kevin De Bruyne.

3 ways Kevin De Bruyne and Lionel Messi complement each other

So, who fancies Kevin De Bruyne and Lionel Messi together at Inter Miami? We certainly do. Here are three ways the superstars could complement each other.

Long-range passing x Space exploitation

Kevin De Bruyne is known for many things, but none more so than his ability to long-range pass. It even takes a genius to see the passes Kevin De Bruyne makes, but it takes a new level of architect to complete those passes to the scale De Bruyne does.

So, bringing this to Inter Miami will serve the Herons well for many reasons. However, nobody would benefit as much as Lionel Messi, who is an excellent exploiter of space. His short frame and low centre of gravity enable the Argentine to weave into small pockets of space, so he is best placed to convert those long-range passes into goal-scoring opportunities, either for himself or his fellow attackers.

Switching play x Intricate passes

Both Kevin De Bruyne and Lionel Messi have one thing in common: they bring out the best in their teammates. However, there is room for both to operate since they bring out the best in others through different avenues.

Kevin De Bruyne can read the game and when he deems it necessary, switch the play to the other flank. This flank might be operated by Lionel Messi, who can roam in the midfield and attack zones.

Messi, on the other hand, is better at building up play with intricate passes. He comes from the same tiki-taka lineage as head coach Javier Mascherano, however, both Argentines will be open to the idea of introducing a route-one approach, when needed.

Playmaker x Finisher

Honestly, either tag could be applied to either player. However, we naturally look at Kevin De Bruyne as the provider and Lionel Messi as the finisher. This will certainly be the case in Miami, since no Heron has scored more goals this season than Messi.

Unlike ever before in MLS, Lionel Messi will be provided by the best to ever do it in this generation. So, fans should expect to see many goals shared between Kevin De Bruyne and Lionel Messi.