What will Kyle Walker’s Manchester City legacy look like? | OneFootball

With Kyle Walker’s time at the Etihad Stadium seemingly coming to an end in the middle of a season, many are wondering how the defender will be remembered for his time at the club.

In the moments following Manchester City’s emphatic 8-0 win over Salford City in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday evening, news emerged from Pep Guardiola’s post-match press conference that star full-back Kyle Walker had requested to leave the club.

The England international’s season has been far from the best of his career, losing his part in Pep Guardiola’s starting eleven on several occasions to his teammates including the much-younger Rico Lewis.

Due to some of his performances throughout this season, some fans even went as far as venting their frustrations regarding Kyle Walker’s defensive lapses, most notably one user who had sent a racist message in his direction.

But the online attacks and poor performances should not be what the 34-year-old is remembered for after his time at Manchester City ultimately comes to an end.

When Walker moved to the Etihad Stadium from White Hart Lane in July 2017, he made an immediate impact in the Sky Blues’ defence, solidifying himself right away as one of the Premier League’s best one-on-one defenders, if not the best.

In his first season alone, the Three Lions defender managed to win 161 duels, which equates to 63.9 per cent of his match-ups down the wing, according to Fotmob.

Following this success, Walker became Pep Guardiola’s defensive impact player when it came to tough match-ups, and never more present than during several encounters Manchester City had with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.

It was the England international who was given the task of marking players such as the lightning-quick Vinicius Jr or Kylian Mbappe, as well as greats in the form of Neymar and Lionel Messi.

This defensive prowess was one of the things that led to City’s success in the 2023 Champions League, lifting the trophy for the first time in the club’s history. Yet it was not limited to continental competitions, as Walker lifted the Premier League on six different occasions.

One of the biggest things that led to this success was his pace, with the Englishman constantly finding himself on the Premier League’s list of fastest players, reaching a top speed of 37.31 kilometres per hour.

Thanks to this, Kyle Walker created several iconic goal line clearances, such as against Liverpool in the FA Community Shield in 2019, or against Chelsea in the pandemic-affected 2020 season.

Given all of this success, there was no doubt when Pep Guardiola entrusted the Three Lions defender with the captain’s armband ahead of the 2023/24 season, which carried through to the most recent fixtures.

All of this being said, it leaves no reason why Kyle Walker’s time in a Manchester City shirt should not be remembered for his speedy work on the defensive end of the pitch, which aided the club in transforming into a continental giant while defending their domestic reign.