David Silva or Kevin De Bruyne? Comparing Manchester City legends with current players

Manchester City have seen a myriad of players come into the club, and a few have gone on to become legends of the club. From Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany to Kevin De Bruyne and Ruben Dias, the previous decade has been dominated by some scintillating players.

But how exactly do the numbers compare? GOAL takes a look at how the current City players compare against the club legends.

Sergio Aguero vs Raheem Sterling

A conversation about Manchester City legends is incomplete without the mention of Sergio Aguero. The Argentine joined the Sky Blues from Atletico Madrid in 2011 and went on to score 260 goals in 390 appearances.

With such a prolific goalscoring record, 15 trophies to his name, an unforgettable title-winning 93rd minute-goal, and a per-game goal involvement of 0.8, it is clear to see why Aguero is regarded as one of the best players to ever play for City.

Though he doesn’t operate from a number 9 position as the Argentine did, Raheem Sterling has garnered impressive stats of his own over the course of his 7-year spell at the club so far.

The Englishman has netted 131 goals and bagged 94 assists in 338 appearances, with an impressive per-game goal involvement rate of 0.6. He is also the player with the highest number of goals plus assists in the squad at the moment.

David Silva vs Kevin De Bruyne

The Spanish playmaker’s decade-long spell at the club ended with 436 appearances, 77 goals, and 140 assists to his name, with a rate of 0.3 assists per game and creating 0.3 big chances per game.

He is still the City player with the most Premier League assists, wins, and matches played. Whereas Kevin De Bruyne. widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world, isn’t too far behind statistically. He boasts a rate of 0.4 assists per game, which is slightly better than the Spaniard.

He also has a better rate of chance creation per game with 0.6, and also averages 0.9 shots on target per game, while Silva averaged 0.6.

Vincent Kompany vs Ruben Dias

Signed from Hamburg SV in 2008, the Belgian quickly rose through the ranks and had the arm badge for eight seasons. During his 359 appearances for the club, he had an astonishing tackle success rate of 75%, 1.9 interceptions per game, and 94 clean sheets in the Premier League.

Needless to say that Ruben Dias had big boots to fill in and he has proven to be a clear leader on the pitch, much like former the Belgian captain.

Dias has a tackle success rate of 64%, 0.9 interceptions per game, and 27 clean sheets in 61 appearances in the Premier League so far.

Joe Hart Vs Ederson

A long-serving patron to the club, Joe Hart’s illustrious career with City saw him make 347 appearances and keep 137 clean sheets, which meant he had a clean sheet percentage of 39.5.

The Englishman had an impressive save percentage of 72.7% and averaged 19.8 passes per match.

The Cityzen’s signed Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson Moraes from S.L Benfica in 2017, and it’s fair to say he’s been pulling his weight.

The Brazilian has averaged a 72.4 save percentage, conceding only 0.72 goals per game, compared to the 1 goal per game Joe Hart averaged.

Ederson’s save percentage stands tall at 72.4%, and he also boasts an impressive clean sheet percentage of 50.3.

With a squad that averages stats akin to Manchester City legends of the past, it’s clear to see why the club is enjoying a period of unrivaled success, with four Premier League titles in five years. As City continue to make impressive signings, there’s little doubt that this period of domination isn’t ending any time soon.