Kevin De Bruyne has retained the PFA Men's Players' Player of the Year award.
The Manchester City wizard was voted as the best player in the Premier League for the 2020/21 season by his peers, scoring a victory over a number of his teammates at the Etihad Stadium.
Ruben Dias was considered by many as the favourite to win the accolade having already collected the respective plaques voted upon by supporters and journalists across England.
De Bruyne claims PFA prize
However, it appears as though the opinion of the players themselves has leaned towards the creative genius in the City midfield as opposed to the unstoppable rock in their defence.
De Bruyne helped City to win their third Premier League title in the space of four seasons with six goals and 14 assists across 23 appearances, collecting eight Man of the Match awards.
“It’s crazy!” De Bruyne said in reaction to winning successive awards, according to City's official website.
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De Bruyne reacts to his victory
“You talk about two legends in the game – one of the best strikers ever [Henry] and one of the top two players in the world [Ronaldo], so to do the same thing as them is crazy.
“I really enjoy playing in this team. I signed a new contract knowing the playing style. I am really happy here. We compete for every trophy and that suits my competitive nature.
“The team has been unbelievable and push me to my best level every day.”
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De Bruyne is now part of an exclusive club of double PFA Men's Players' Player of the Year award winners alongside Mark Hughes, Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
And that makes the Belgian just the second player to have retained the plaque with Ronaldo and Henry having done so during their primes at Arsenal and Manchester United.
A surprising victory?
However, there is no denying that his latest victory in the awards is the more debatable one with Dias and Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane having long been considered more likely recipients.
No doubt many will argue that De Bruyne is the worthy winner and it must be said that the opinion of the Premier League players themselves is surely one that takes on the ultimate significance.
But it wouldn't be outrageous to suggest that De Bruyne's 2020/21 triumph was just as unexpected as some of the never-saw-them-coming passes that put him in contention in the first place.