Arsenal's new aid Eze was interviewed recently and said that Manchester City legend De Bruyne is the strongest opponent he has faced in his career.

The 34-year-old De Bruyne ended his ten-year journey filled with honors in Manchester this summer (during which he won 6 Premier League titles, 2 FA Cups and 1 Champions League) and switched from the Etihad Stadium to Serie A champion Napoli.

Eze, who has just moved from Crystal Palace to Premier League leader Arsenal, said frankly when recalling his confrontation with the Belgian midfielder that De Bruyne's thinking is always several levels ahead of everyone on the field.

When asked about the strongest opponent he has faced in his career, he said frankly: "I would choose Kevin De Bruyne. He plays in that way and maintains that level for a long time - this is not easy. You can see that he is a player with higher-order thinking."

"This type of player is what I have looked up to since childhood. A role model, he is undoubtedly a special talent. Maybe when you play against him, you can't help but sigh, 'He can always find a solution to the problem before I create it.' At that time, De Bruyne entered the contract year of Manchester City and received an invitation from the Saudi League. Eze, who has become one of the most efficient attacking midfielders in the Premier League, has been discussed within Manchester City as a creative reinforcement option.

However, after selling Michael Olise to Bayern Munich, Crystal Palace did not want to lose any more core players and rejected all attempts to purchase Eze. The England international stayed in south London during the 2024-25 season and helped the team defeat Manchester City in the FA Cup final before moving to Arsenal the following summer.

De Bruyne ultimately stayed with the team for the final season and left the team on a free agency after the expiration of his contract. He officially joined Naples in the summer of 2025 and quickly showed his influence in Serie A - the Belgian midfielder scored 4 goals in the first 8 appearances of the defending champion and quickly became the core of the team's offensive system. However, he suffered a serious thigh injury in the penalty kick in the 3-1 victory over Inter Milan last month. His strong start was interrupted and he is expected to miss all remaining games this year.