The City boss, responding to where the Belgian sat in his list of the great players he has managed, said the question had no merit as everybody can see how good he is.
“It is not necessary for me to say anything about him - just look at how he plays,” said Pep,
“His performance, his consistency, his influence in the final third, his desire and positivity…
“He is calm and in Madrid, I asked him after the game how he felt before taking the penalty and he said he just thought: ‘I’m going to score.’
“He doesn’t feel the pressure and he likes to play in the big events… he is an exceptional player.”
Despite the praise from the boss, Pep added that even De Bruyne can improve, saying: “Always I say to him, ‘Kevin, the simple things – do the simple things properly,’ because sometimes he is alone and then he will lose the ball.
“He can see things others can’t and do something special and find spaces others can’t find but he is improving and improving in that area.
“We are not talking about a guy who is 33 or 34 - he still has a lot of years to play and always you have the feeling when he is on the pitch that he can influence something, he is never disconnected, he always has something to do.
“For the first goal against Real Madrid, I think he crossed to Jesus without knowing he was there but thinking Gabriel should have been there.
“That is the best way to express the talent that Kevin has. For these type of players challenges to become even better comes from the players themselves.
“It comes from something inside for them to want to do better. The players know what drills or skills they have to improve and that comes from within.
“They have faced reality and the difficulties, the players who don’t, cannot be in the top clubs.”
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