As far as nicknames go, it is up there with the very best: such is the esteem in which some judges hold Kevin De Bruyne in Belgium, they have christened him ‘The Ginger Pele’.

Given how much Manchester City paid for him this summer, smashing their transfer record to bring him from Wolfsburg, it is fair to say they regard him in a similar bracket, too.

A £55million price tag ensures great expectations and on Saturday night the Etihad Stadium got its first chance to see what all the hype about De Bruyne was about.

Kevin De Bruyne found the net on his home debut for Manchester City and performed impressively

The £55m Belgian celebrates with team-mate Sergio Aguero after scoring but they still lost to West Ham

The 'Ginger Pele' drilled the ball home for his first Man City goal on the stroke of half-time

The shot beat West Ham goalkeeper Adrian low to his right and halved the deficit just before the break

A diagram showing the build-up to De Bruyne's goal, his first in Manchester City colours

Though he was reintroduced to the Barclays Premier League at Crystal Palace seven days previously, this was always going to be an important evening for the young man who was jettisoned from Stamford Bridge by Jose Mourinho 18 months ago, a home debut in front of bumper crowd and a live TV audience. But, in the moments before kick-off, it became even more significant.

An injury to David Silva robbed City of their creative spark, so having geared himself up for a performance raiding in from the right, he was thrust on to centre stage with the task of preserving the impeccable start his side have made to the domestic campaign.

He was never going to be able to do things under the radar. Sporting a garish pair of pink boots to go with his distinctive hair, the eye was drawn to De Bruyne from the moment he emerged from the tunnel, his name being given an extra cheer when it was announced.

De Bruyne takes the ball past West Ham captain Mark Noble during the contest at the Etihad Stadium

De Bruyne performs a Cruyff turn as he attempts to outwit West Ham defender James Tomkins

The Belgians's first appearance in a City shirt would end in disappointment, however, as they lost 2-1

De Bruyne's heat map from the match shows how much ground he covered

DE BRUYNE vs WEST HAM Passes 70 (short 64, long 6) Passing accuracy 81.4 per cent Duels won 6 Duels lost 8 Recoveries 7 Total shots on target 1 Total shots off target 1 Blocked shots 2 Goals 1 Chances created 4 Advertisement

Soon, though, the boots and the hair had no relevance, the eye quickly became drawn to De Bruyne because of what he was doing with the ball; the man who finished the last Bundesliga season with 28 assists began to show why City were prepared to invest so much.

If much of what was around him was ordinary – there some poor performers here, most notably Raheem Sterling, Jesus Navas and Fernandinho – that accusation could not have been levelled at the elegant 24-year-old, even if Manuel Pellegrini brusquely rejected the chance to talk about him afterwards.

He buzzed from side to side, always looking to put West Ham on the back foot. His control was imperious and he never took more than two touches: get it, give it, move. It was simple rule but it was exciting to watch, the only possible conclusion to form that this was a proper footballer.

If anyone was going to score for City, De Bruyne looked the most likely and so it proved in first half injury time when he fizzed in a right-footed drive that never left the ground before speeding past the despairing drive of Adrian. How Pellegrini could have done with others to perform like him.

The first £50million-plus footballer to arrive in Manchester arrived to a fanfare but, after an exciting start, Angel Di Maria fizzled out depressingly and was moved on within 12 months for a considerable loss. The prospects for the latest £50million-plus man appear considerably better.