Mateo Kovacic has said that Kevin De Bruyne is one of the two best players he has ever played against.

On the official Manchester City podcast, Kovacic also named a certain Lionel Messi as one of the most challenging opponents he has gone toe-to-toe with.

The Croatian midfielder had also previously lauded De Bruyne for his ability to step up in the biggest moments time and again.

Mateo Kovacic names Kevin De Bruyne and Lionel Messi as the toughest opponents in his career

Recently, Micah Richards claimed that if the £54 million (Guardian) man has a couple of more top seasons, he will go down as the “best-ever” midfielder in Premier League history.

When Manchester City won the treble last season, it seemed widely acknowledged that the decorated maestro was the best midfielder in the world, even at 32 years of age.

Now, Mateo Kovacic has given an insight into why Kevin De Bruyne is one of the two toughest opponents in his career.

“Against? Probably Messi, I need to tell you”, he initially told the official Manchester City podcast.

“But also, when I played against City, Kevin is exceptional. In terms of midfielders, attacking, decisive, there is no one better for sure in the last, I don’t know how many years. So, I think these two players are amazing.”

The Manchester City legend must be simply impossible to stop

It is not a surprise to hear Mateo Kovacic name Kevin De Bruyne as he simply ticks too many boxes in his game.

For starters, there is a sense of impending doom that must come with facing the Belgian captain due to his range of impeccable final balls.

In addition, Kevin De Bruyne’s ball-carrying is beyond belief, as opposition sides are forced to simply hack him down to stop him in his stride.

Also, the treble-winner’s shooting with both feet is phenomenal, which makes him a constant goal threat.

Defensively as well, De Bruyne is no slouch and is known to get stuck in, both as a presser and in terms of tracking back.

With the Manchester City legend being just ridiculously complete, how does one tame him?