THANKS FOR THE KOMPANY Ten years after arriving at Manchester City, the Belgium defender has won 9 trophies and steered the club to the pinnacle of the game
TEN years ago a defensive midfielder signed for Manchester City because he “felt something big might happen.”
Today, Vincent Kompany is a central defender, has three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three League Cups and two Community Shields to his name and City are one of the richest clubs in the world.
Nine days after his £6million arrival from Hamburg Kompany’s sense of anticipation was proved right.
Sheikh Mansour launched the takeover that was to transform the Blues and see them emerge from the giant shadow cast by the success of rivals Manchester United.
Reflecting on his decade at City, Kompany, 32, said: “It’s been a special journey. The fans and the people who support this club are the same, but everything else has evolved. I’m extremely proud to have been a part of it.
“The 10 years at City, with the transitions we’ve had, is like 30 at another club – it’s cemented. We are tied to each other for life. Every club you sign for, they give you the same pitch: we’ve got a big project, great ambition, we want to achieve this, achieve that and kick on and be a better team.
“With City, I just happened to be lucky they were the one club that didn’t lie about it.’’
Scouted by Manchester United while a youth player at Anderlecht, Sir Alex Ferguson decided against going for Kompany, with City signing him for a bargain fee, given his longevity and level of service to the Blues.
But Kompany added: “The first time I came through the door it was weird.
“It was a big club because of its history, because of its fanbase, because of the stadium, but a small one because of the state of the training facilities, probably the culture towards winning and the lack of pressure that there was.”
Signed by former City boss Mark Hughes, Kompany (below, celebrating with Elano on his debut in 2008) quickly settled into his new role at the heart of the defence and soon emerged as the figure around whom the Blues would build their back-line.
He succeeded Carlos Tevez as City skipper at the start of the 2011-12 season and played a pivotal role in that titlewinning season, scoring the header in a 1-0 win over United that put the Blues in pole position over their local rivals. Sergio Aguero may have scored the dramatic 94thminute winner with virtually the last kick of the season to seal the title for City, but it was Kompany’s towering header against United that made possible the thrilling finale – the most exciting in Premier League history – to the epic title tussle. Kompany’s crucial header and Aguero’s seismic titlewinning goal signalled a power shift in Manchester football. Even though United responded by reclaiming the title the following season as Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down, in the five seasons since, City have finished above their rivals. And now, on the back of last season’s record-breaking title win, secured by a 19-point margin over United, the gap between the fierce rivals is wider than ever, with Kompany still playing a key role for the Blues.
His appearances may be rationed now, a consequence of age and his brutal injury history, but it says everything about Kompany’s enduring class and value to City he remains a key member of Pep Guardiola’s squad – and he is set to play his 250th Premier League game at Wolves on Saturday,.
Guardiola said: “When one guy is with the same club for 10 years it’s because he is something special.”
Combative and committed on the field, he is erudite and eloquent off it, graduating from Manchester Business School with an MBA last year after studying in his spare time away from training, playing and being with his wife and two children.
Kompany’s team-mates joined Guardiola in hailing his decade at City, with compatriot team-mate Kevin De Bruyne saying: “He’s been a legend for the club and for Belgium. He did good stuff and hopefully we can win more together.”