The Belgium playmaker certainly looked like a man on a mission in sparking City's remarkable fightback against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday.
After City fell two goals behind inside 21 minutes, the 33-year-old De Bruyne curled a free kick in off the post to begin the comeback and had a hand in goals by Omar Marmoush and Mateo Kovacic in the first half.
James McAtee added a fourth — off a record Premier League seventh goalkeeping assist from Ederson, who later came off injured — before fellow academy product Nico O'Reilly wrapped up the win.
It was a display showing the enduring quality of De Bruyne, who announced last week he would be leaving City at the end of the season, and he was given a standing ovation after being substituted in the 87th minute.
"I want to go away with a Champions League place for this team because they deserve it," he said.
The victory lifted City, winners of the last four Premier League titles but a shadow of their former selves this season, into fourth, above Chelsea and Newcastle, who have games in hand in the race to secure England's five Champions League spots.
City are two points behind third-place Nottingham Forest, who conceded in stoppage time to lose 1-0 at home to Everton.
Aston Villa won 3-0 at already-relegated Southampton to climb to fifth and stay a point behind City, with Chelsea and Newcastle a point further back.
Any realistic chances Arsenal had of winning the title disappeared weeks ago and the second-placed Gunners were held 1-1 by Brentford, leaving them 10 points behind Liverpool.
Beat West Ham on Sunday and Liverpool will need just two more wins to guarantee a record-tying 20th English top-flight championship.
Forest's bid for Champions League qualification has been one of the stories of the season but the team are starting to wobble in the run-in.
Abdoulaye Doucoure finished a counter-attack in the fourth minute of stoppage time for Everton's winner as Forest lost a second straight game, after being beaten at Villa last weekend.
Villa were labouring against last-place Southampton until manager Unai Emery brought on Ollie Watkins and Donyell Malen in the 66th minute.
Seven minutes later, Watkins got on the end of a lofted pass from Youri Tielemans and directed a volley in off the crossbar. Malen added a second goal in the 79th and John McGinn — another substitute — scored a third off a rebound from Marco Asensio's second saved penalty of the match.
With his two stunning goals from free kicks, Declan Rice was the star for Arsenal in their 3-0 first-leg win over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday.
This time, he turned provider against Brentford, surging 60 metres before setting up Thomas Partey for the 61st-minute opener, only for Yoane Wissa to equalise in the 74th.
Leicester, who are heading for relegation in next-to-last place, scored for the first time since January 26 in a 2-2 draw at Brighton.
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