Vincent Kompany was born in Brussels and his first team was the Belgian capital’s most high-profile club Anderlecht.

He joined the side’s youth setup at the age of 14 and made his professional debut 3 years later against Rapid Bucharest in a Champions League qualifier.

Kompany spent three years in Anderlecht’s first team, winning the Belgian Golden Shoe and Belgian Ebony Shoe prior to his departure in 2006.

His move to Germany

Hamburg paid €10m to secure Kompany’s services before the start of the 2006/07 season but he had a difficult couple of years with the Bundesliga club.

The centre-back spent most of his first season sidelined with an Achilles injury and, while he did feature more prominently in his second year, his time with the team ended prematurely after he fell out with the team’s hierarchy over his decision to play for Belgium in the Olympics.

Kompany’s Man City career

The defender made the move to the Premier League in August 2008. He was initially used as a holding midfielder by manager Mark Hughes before Roberto Mancini’s appointment in December the following year.

Mancini would prove very influential in Kompany’s development as a player. The Italian moved him back to centre-half and gave him the captain’s armband.

The defender was a key figure in helping City win the FA Cup final in 2011, being named in the PFA Team of the Year as well as winning the club’s supporters’ Player of the Season award in the process.

Kompany would also prove to be instrumental in City winning their first Premier League title a year later, playing the full 90 minutes in their famous 3-2 win over QPR where Sergio Aguero‘s last-minute winner sealed top spot ahead of rivals Manchester United.

While City’s fortunes would fluctuate over the next few years, the defender remained a rock at the back, and he was once again an important player as the club won their second title under manager Manuel Pellegrini in 2013/14.

Guardiola’s arrival and retirement

Pep Guardiola’s appointment as manager in 2016 coincided with the start of Kompany’s injury problems. He was managed by the Catalan for three seasons but he did not play more than 26 games in any single campaign.

Even so, the centre-back remained a leader in the dressing room and he made a crucial contribution in winning the 2018/19 title, scoring the winner from long-range against Leicester which kept his team ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League table. The three points proved decisive at the end of the season.

In the summer of 2019, Kompany left City 11 years after signing for them. He joined his first club Anderlecht to become their player-manager before retiring from playing soon afterwards.

Career Achievements

• Kompany won 15 major honours in his career including two Belgian Pro League titles (with Anderlecht), the Intertoto Cup (with Hamburg), 4 Premier League titles, 2 FA Cups, 4 Carabao Cups and 2 Community Shields (with City).
• He won the Premier League Player of the Season in 2011/12.
• Kompany was named in the PFA Team of the Year on three separate occasions (2010/11, 2011/12 and 2013/14).
• He was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2022.