Manchester City's FA Cup hero Kevin De Bruyne admitted he was 'mentally done' after injury threatened to end his season.
While City completed an unprecedented domestic treble this term, De Bruyne has been unable to play a major part as his campaign was ravaged by injuries.
But the Belgian playmaker came on as a second-half sub at Wembley and inspired his team to a 6-0 win over Watford - the biggest victory in an FA Cup final for 116 years.
De Bruyne suffered successive knee ligament problems as his team-mates went from their Community Shield victory in August to lifting the Carabao Cup in February and winning the Premier League title on a thrilling final day last weekend.
His most recent injury came during a crucial 1-0 win over Tottenham in April - and he admitted he was "done" after that setback as it appeared his season was over.
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Asked about his starring role in City's FA Cup final win, De Bruyne told BBC Sport: "It feels a bit like an honour. After the Tottenham injury, mentally I was done.
"Five injuries in a year is a lot. But after a couple of days I was ready to be back with the team and help them win the title and in the final game and this game.
"I feel somewhat blessed to end the season in this way and show everyone that I am still the same and hopefully next season will be better."
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City were already 2-0 up against Watford when De Bruyne came on for Riyad Mahrez in the second half. But his introduction injected fresh impetus in City's attack, and he scored the third before setting up Gabriel Jesus for the fourth.
Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva said City can improve even more under manager Pep Guardiola.
Asked about the significance of the treble, the City midfielder said: "It's fantastic. It means you are the best in your country by far because you won all of the competitions, so yes, we're very happy with this season.
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"It doesn't matter if we win 1-0 or 5-0, there's always space for improvement.
"Next season we'll try to get better, to win even more titles, to control more the games, have more possession, create more chances, score more goals. We'll work on that."
