The 29-year-old Belgium international enjoyed his most productive season since joining Manchester City from Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg in the summer of 2015, scoring 13 league goals and matching Thierry Henry’s long-standing record of laying on 20 assists for his teammates.
De Bruyne played 35 times in the top flight and despite Manchester City relinquishing their Premier League crown to Liverpool, the former Chelsea man has been voted the league’s most outstanding player.
De Bruyne saw off competition from Liverpool trio Trent Alexander-Arnold, Sadio Mane and Jordan Henderson as well as the league’s top scorer Jamie Vardy, Nick Pope and Southampton’s Danny Ings, who were all included in a seven-man shortlist.
Liverpool duo Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah had won the award for the past two seasons.
The award will serve as a scant consolation to De Bruyne, who suffered elimination from the UEFA Champions League despite scoring in Manchester City’s 3-1 loss to Olympique Lyon on Saturday.
In the season’s other honours, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp won the Premier League’s manager of the season while Alexander-Arnold scooped the Young player of the year award.
De Bruyne is expecting his third child in the coming days.
