Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has insisted that the club do not need to win the Champions League in order to show that they are a successful side.

City have been hugely successful over the past decade, winning the league on three occasions, the FA Cup and the League cup on a further three occasions.

However, the Blues have never manged to progress past the semi-finals of the Champions League, a competition that fans and pundits desperately believe they need to win in order to ensure their status as one of the biggest clubs in the world.

But star man De Bruyne, who is arguably the best midfielder in the world currently, says that his side do not need to win the competition in order to prove their stature – as they are already one of the biggest names in football.

“I don’t agree that we have to win the Champions League to be a success,” the Belgian said.

“It is a big title to win but in the Champions League you don’t need to have the consistency that you need in the league.

“We were great for the whole year, maybe a bit less against Liverpool, and so we were out. It is a tournament, you need to be good at the right time.

“In the league if you have a bad spell then you are running behind. It is a different prospect, cup games are different to a league.”
[Quotes via BBC Sport]