Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has insisted that he will have no regrets if he fails to win the Champions League.
The 31-year-old has helped the Citizens win 12 trophies during his near eight-year spell at the club, including four Premier League titles.
However, the Champions League still eludes both De Bruyne and City, with the Belgian playmaker reaching one final, two semi-finals and three quarter-finals during his time at the Etihad Stadium.
The pressure has consistently been on City to win Europe's elite club competition since Pep Guardiola took the reins in 2016, but if the Citizens continue to fall short on the biggest stage, De Bruyne insists he is "fortunate" to have already won a plethora of trophies in his career.
Speaking at a press conference, as quoted by BBC Sport, ahead of City's Champions League last-16 second leg against RB Leipzig on Tuesday, De Bruyne said: "I don't regret the things I do. Whatever competition I try to win. You lose more than you win. I've won a lot, I'm fortunate.
© Reuters
"If you care about the noise obviously it's going to annoy people a little bit. We've not won it but we have done really well in the Champions League.
"People base everything on only winning but there has been a lot of circumstances in these games. In the [Real] Madrid game (last season) and the Tottenham game (in 2019) we deserved to go through and we didn't.
"Moments in these games, these things happen. Obviously I want to win it, but I know as long as we don't then I will come and get the same questions. If people judge you on that, we try to win these games and be the best version we can be, as a team and as a person."
De Bruyne, who is one of five first-team players at City over the age of 30, is under contract at the Etihad until the summer of 2025, and while he has acknowledged he will soon be reaching the latter years of his career, he hopes to continue playing at the highest level for as long as possible.
"I'm an old man in this game, but I'm not an old man. I'm pretty young," City's No.17 added. "I know how it works, when people talk about you, you notice these things a lot more. People talk about form, how you play, it's give or take. I know how to manage.
© Reuters
"I don't know how long I've got left, as long as I'm having fun I'll keep on playing. There will come a day, I don't know when.
"I'm a perfectionist. Whatever I do in football, normal life. I want to be 100%. If the time comes, it's not necessarily important now. If I think about it right now, I want to stay as high as possible for as long as possible. It's not only my decision. Something to think about."
De Bruyne has recently been in and out of Guardiola's starting lineup, but he remains a key cog in the Spaniard's machine, contributing with five goals and 18 assists in 34 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
After missing the first leg with Leipzig three weeks ago through illness, with City drawing 1-1 in Germany, De Bruyne will be hoping to force his way back into the starting lineup on Tuesday as the Citizens bid to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the sixth successive season.
No Data Analysis info
