Vincent Kompany

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Kompany began his professional career at Anderlecht; having graduated from their youth system, he was with the club for three seasons as a first-team player before moving to Bundesliga club Hamburg in 2006. In the summer of 2008, he completed a transfer to Premier League club Manchester City, where he was an integral part of the squad and regarded as one of the bargain buys of the revolutionised City era, blossoming into one of the league's best centre-backs. In the 2011–12 season, he was awarded the captaincy of City, leading his club to win the Premier League that season, their first league title in 44 years. Kompany was included in the Premier League Team of the Year in 2011, 2012, and 2014, and won the Premier League Player of the Season in 2012. Kompany won eleven more trophies at City and made 360 total appearances. Kompany earned 89 caps for Belgium in a 15-year international career, having made his debut in 2004 at age 17. He was part of their squad that came fourth at the 2008 Olympics and went to the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2018, coming a best-ever third at the latter. He served as captain from 2010. In 2019, when his contract expired after eleven years at City, Kompany returned to Anderlecht as player-manager. A year later, he announced his retirement from professional football and became the first-team manager. In 2022, he was hired by Burnley, winning the EFL Championship in his first season, before being relegated from the Premier League the following season. He was appointed by Bayern Munich in 2024 following the departure of Thomas Tuchel and won the 2024–25 Bundesliga in his first season at the club, followed by a domestic treble in his second season.

In Their Own Story

The 2011–12 season reached its climax on 13 May 2012. Kompany led Manchester City against Queens Park Rangers in a match that ended in a dramatic 3–2 win, securing the league title for the club for the first time since 1968. During the match, QPR midfielder Joey Barton attempted to headbutt Kompany. Earlier that season, on 30 April 2012, Kompany had scored with a header from a David Silva corner in the Manchester derby; the game finished 1–0 to City and put them in first place ahead of Manchester United on goal difference with only two games of the season remaining. On 11 May 2012, Kompany was named Barclays Player of the Season for his outstanding performance in the Premier League, the first time the award was won by a City player.

Reader's Guide

Born in Uccle, Brussels, Kompany started his career at Anderlecht at the age of 17. He made his professional debut on 30 July 2003 in a UEFA Champions League second qualifying round first leg away to Rapid București, starting in a goalless draw. His first goal on 1 February 2004 came in a 3–1 win away to Sint-Truiden. Kompany won several awards including the Belgian Golden Shoe and the Belgian Ebony Shoe. On 9 June 2006 it was announced that Kompany had been acquired by Hamburger SV for a fee of €10 million, as a replacement for fellow Belgian Daniel Van Buyten. In his debut season for Hamburg, he managed only six Bundesliga starts for the club before suffering an achilles injury in November that ruled him out for the rest of the season. Kompany scored on 29 July 2007 in a 4–0 win (5–1 aggregate) over Moldova's Dacia Chișinău in the last round of the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Hamburg won the title via being the Intertoto team that advanced furthest in the 2007–08 UEFA Cup. In August 2008, Kompany fell out with Hamburg over his decision to play at the Olympic tournament in China. On 22 August 2008, Premier League club Manchester City signed Kompany from Hamburg on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut two days later in a 3–0 home win against West Ham United, playing the entire match. On 28 September, Kompany scored his first goal in City's 2–1 away defeat by Wigan Athletic. During his early time at Manchester City, Kompany played as a defensive midfielder. On 19 October 2009, Kompany signed a new five-year deal with City that would keep him at the club until 2014. He scored his second league goal for the club in a 2–0 home win against Portsmouth and his third in a 6–1 win against Burnley at Turf Moor. Kompany was handed the number 4 jersey for the 2010–11 season after previous wearer Nedum Onuoha moved on loan to Sunderland. On 25 April, Kompany again continued to captain the side in the absence of striker Carlos Tevez against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, playing the full 90 minutes alongside Lescott in a 1–0 victory. On 16 April, Kompany captained Manchester City's victory over main rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley; City won the game 1–0. Later that day, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year alongside teammate Tevez. In the 2011 FA Cup Final, Kompany started and finished the match, a 1–0 victory over Stoke

Did You Know?

• Kompany made his professional debut for Anderlecht at age 17 in a UEFA Champions League qualifier.
• He won the Belgian Golden Shoe and Belgian Ebony Shoe during his time at Anderlecht.
• Kompany was named Premier League Player of the Season in 2012, the first Manchester City player to win the award.
• He captained Belgium from 2010 and led them to a third-place finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
• Kompany won the 2024–25 Bundesliga in his first season as Bayern Munich head coach.