Kevin De Bruyne has never been very good at concealing his emotions, which has been an issue this season. The Manchester City playmaker is a heart-on-the-sleeve player but so far this season frustration has been his overwhelming feeling.
He has bubbled away for the Blues without ever quite hitting top form in the first 22 games of a disrupted campaign. Even when he's looked like returning to his best there have been rebukes from Pep Guardiola, who has said on a couple of occasions that De Bruyne can do more. Of that, there is no doubt.
If the World Cup was supposed to provide a sanctuary, a chance to reset, then it all went badly wrong. Belgium crashed out in the group stage and De Bruyne was at the heart of an acrimonious split in the group, with his interview that appeared between group stage games casting the squad as "too old" to win the tournament proving prophetic, but also disappointing to teammates.
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De Bruyne has never found the environment - and the standard - with Belgium as much to his liking as at City, but at the same time, his comments served as a reminder that he is 31 and much closer to the end than the beginning. But perhaps the frustration and the fall-out in Qatar will act as motivation for the second half of this season.
A friendly against Girona on a freezing December afternoon, watched by a few thousand hardy souls, will soon be forgotten about on the weekend of the World Cup final, but De Bruyne played like he had a point to prove. He was more energetic and more aggressive than any of his senior colleagues on the team sheet.
As an established City Football Group club, Girona were always going to be competitive but compliant opponents, in terms of making sure this was a friendly. They also share plenty of the principles of Guardiola's side and it took barely four minutes for the Blues to expose them.
With De Bruyne lining up high up the pitch and pressing aggressively, it was the Belgian who pounced on a loose pass from goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, reaching the ball before former City prospect Aleix Garcia and then sweeping home a left-footed finish from near the penalty spot.
This fixture was a way of easing back in for City after the five-week break for the World Cup, but within 20 minutes it was all beginning to look eerily familiar. Those players stepping up into the side looked at home, with Rico Lewis like a super-charged Kyle Walker, constantly on the move between right-back and central midfield, while Cole Palmer looked assured in a deeper midfield role.
The stars of the show were further forward, however, and nothing says 'City are back' quite like a De Bruyne assist for Erling Haaland. The move began with 18-year-old centre-back Jadel Katongo reading a forward pass and intercepting to fire a first-time ball into the feet of De Bruyne. He exchanged passes with Riyad Mahrez before sending in a low cross that Haaland converted with his left foot from eight yards.
Haaland was carrying an ankle injury before the World Cup and should have benefited from the break, but on this evidence, he also needed the run-out. It had been six weeks since his last goal for City and once he was on the scoresheet here he found the going a little more difficult.
Despite the bright start City didn't have it all their own way and an often slick Girona team were encouraged by a jittery first-half display from Stefan Ortega, who got away with a loose touch when Valentin Castellanos pounced and then he nervously pushed an effort wide from Ramon Terrats.
Castellanos, who is on his third CFG club in Girona, then sent a header straight at Ortega and hit the inside of the post with another headed effort just before half-time.
City continued to live dangerously after the break. Christian Stuani had a volley deflected wide and Valery Fernandez rattled the woodwork from close range.
It was a more disjointed second half from Guardiola's side, with chances few and far between. De Bruyne was often at the heart of them. One low cross was missed by Cole Palmer and slashed wide by Mahrez. De Bruyne then danced his way through central midfield, nutmegging Samuel Saiz in the process, and released Carlos Borges, whose shot was blocked.
When De Bruyne made way 10 minutes before the end he was given an ovation considerably warmer than the plunging temperatures. He had earned on his return to the day job.
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