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Kevin De Bruyne says history means nothing … and if Manchester City can make the Champions League semi-finals again they will have truly arrived as a European power.

The Blues midfielder is preparing for the first leg of the last 16 tie against Monaco at the Etihad Stadium, and admitted that the elite competition is very important for the Blues this season.

And he said that while City are continually held up in comparison to neighbours Manchester United and Liverpool, due to their rich history in the competition, he feels what has gone before is meaningless.

“That is one we want to achieve,” he said. “This team is building on that, but we need time to do that. Last year was a great step for the team and we know it is going to be a tough test to play against an in-form team in France.

“We have to do our job and win this round and stay in the Champions League. It is very important for people who have to evaluate us and criticise us to see we are going in the right direction.

“As players we don’t really think about that but people who have to write about us, it is very different because we have not been here for a long time.

“The club took a different direction with the ownership but it is not going to be until we are two times in the semi-final that people will say that we do the same things as the best teams in Europe.”

On United and Liverpool, he said: “You cannot compare us to them because we did not have the history in the Champions League. We need the same amount of time.

“For me, it means nothing, but for a lot of people in the world it means everything. That is why people are talking a bit less about Manchester City than the other teams.

“For me everyone is the same, it doesn’t matter if you are a top club or not a top club in the Premier League. Everybody has the same advantages or disadvantages. That is how football works.”