Kevin De Bruyne’s gaudy assist numbers give rise to any number of considerations, and we have to wonder if the Manchester City star has ever wondered if the Premier League record would be his in a world in which Jose Mourinho found better use for him at Chelsea.

De Bruyne’s nine assists this Premier League season are three more than his nearest competitor — Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka — and give him 95 for his career. That’s tied for fifth all-time with Dennis Bergkamp, 71 behind record holder Ryan Giggs.

[ MORE: Premier League Golden Boot race ]

The Belgian star, 31, arrived at Chelsea from Werder Bremen at the age of 22 and managed only 425 in a half-season before being offloaded to Wolfsburg. Back in the Bundesliga, De Bruyne got six assists the rest of the way before setting up 21 goals the next season to set up a move to Man City.

He’s since won the nascent Premier League Playmaker of the Season Award twice, including a 20-assist 2019-20 season, and he’s on pace to make it three of six. Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, and Eden Hazard have also won the award, which is only five years old.

De Bruyne also led the Premier League in assists in 2016-17, the year before the league but a name on the honor.

His stats hint that there’s more to come, as ‘KDB’ is creating a gaudy 3.77 chances per 90 minutes. After a season in which he scored 15 times with eight assists, De Bruyne is back taunting those who’d dare chase him in terms of setting up goals (Some guy named Erling Haaland is helping…).

Take a look at De Bruyne’s shining stats, and read on to see who’s chasing him in a list of the Premier League assist leaders for the 2022-23 season.

Latest Premier League

Erling Haaland hits 20 Premier League goals as Man City beats Leeds Premier League top scorers: Who is leading 2022 Golden Boot race? Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea: How to watch, live stream link, team news

Premier League 2022-23 assist leaders

1. Kevin De Bruyne, Man City — 9

2. Bukayo Saka, Arsenal — 6

3. Bernardo Silva, Man City — 5

4. Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenham Hotspur — 5

5. Alex Iwobi, Everton — 5

6. Andy Robertson, Liverpool — 5

7. Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal — 5

8. Christian Eriksen, Manchester United — 5

9. Andreas Pereira, Fulham — 4

10. Ivan Perisic, Tottenham Hotspur — 4

11. Jamie Vardy, Leicester City — 4

12. James Maddison, Leicester City — 4

13. Marcus Tavernier, Bournemouth — 4

14. Kieran Trippier, Newcastle — 4

15. Martin Odegaard, Arsenal — 4

16. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool — 4

17. Granit Xhaka, Arsenal — 4

Follow @NicholasMendola

Premier League assist leaders: Who will win Playmaker of the Season? originally appeared on NBCSports.com