da gbg bet： Kevin De Bruyne was described as the 'Godfather of attacking midfielders' by Joe Cole after leading Manchester City to a 4-2 win at Crystal Palace.

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De Bruyne called 'Godfather' by ColeBelgian declared best PL attacking midfielderPlaymaker inspired City to 4-2 win at PalaceWHAT HAPPENED?

De Bruyne was the star of the show as City thrashed Crystal Palace 4-2 on Saturday. The Belgian scored a sumptuous curling effort to cancel out Jean-Philippe Mateta's early opening goal and then set up Erling Haaland before rounding off the scoring with a thumping drive. And he was given high praise by former Chelsea and West Ham midfielder Joe Cole.

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"He's the Godfather of attacking midfielders," Cole said on . "He ranks above Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and everyone else. He's outstanding, he stands shoulder to shoulder against any midfielder to play in the Premier League he's such a talented boy."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

De Bruyne has had a difficult campaign after tearing his hamstring on the opening day of the season against Burnley. He spent five months recovering and although he had excellent displays against Newcastle and Luton Town, he was criticised for a poor performance against title rivals Liverpool and was substituted early in the second half by Pep Guardiola at Anfield. Cole added: "At every stage of your career there's something to prove, whether you're young or old and trying to prove you can still do it, it's just the nature of the beast."

DID YOU KNOW?

Guardiola blew kisses at De Bruyne after his equaliser against Palace. The coach and the midfielder have a funny relationship and are often seen arguing during matches or in training although Guardiola has said he enjoys seeing his player express his emotions.