Signing a Manchester City contract extension was among the easiest decisions of Kevin de Bruyne’s burgeoning career.
The brilliant Belgian has gone from strength to strength ever since signing for the Blues in 2015.
And his ascent to being recognised as one of the Premier League’s finest talents, coupled with finding the perfect environment to shine at the Etihad, means he did not have to think for too long about extending his stay in Manchester by a further two years until 2023.
De Bruyne has become a key driving force behind Pep Guardiola’s City revolution and he said: “I feel very good here. I think the way everything went for me when I came here was exceptional. Two and a half very good years and I wanted to stay here.
“The club talked to me about renewing my contract to stay longer. We were open to it and for me it’s the best decision to stay here.”
“It was pretty easy [the decision to stay]. Obviously you hear a lot of people talk about other clubs but I think at the moment we are one of the best clubs in the world.
“The way this club is working as a whole unit is unbelievable. I’ve never witnessed it in other clubs before like that.
“The project is very good, with a lot of young players coming through so I’m happy to also build with this team.”
De Bruyne’s excellence on the field is tempered by a modesty off it.
Asked about his current form - the best of his career - he said: “It’s difficult to say because everyone looks at different things.
“I think all around I’ve played my best season this year but some people just look at statistics and maybe would say my year in Wolfsburg, the last one [was my best one].
“I think the way we are playing, personally, and also with the team is at such a high level this year so I don’t think the other years can compete with it now.”
The former Wolfsburg midfielder is the Premier League’s top assist-maker with 10 - and he has scored six goals.
But of personal benchmarks he said: “I never set a target [for a number of assists]. I just aim for as much as possible. I try to do what I need to do for the team.
“I have a little bit of a different position now, especially from the first year, but sometimes you just have to do different things. In the end if you can help the team, either way I’m very happy – at least if we are winning!
“I feel very honoured and blessed that I can go on for the next five and a half years here. I think from the moment I came here I got a lot of support.
"I know a lot of times they sing that song in the games and I feel really appreciated, so hopefully we can have some good times in the next five and a half years.”