Vincent Kompany's challenging Bayern Munich debut victory
Vincent Kompany's first match as Bayern Munich's head coach proved to be a challenging Bundesliga debut.
Vincent Kompany is a former professional football player now turned manager.
During his playing career he won four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups with Manchester City and played a key role in the club's success over the 2010s. He has a statue outside the Etihad Stadium to mark his legendary status there.
In June 2006, Kompany joined Hamburg from Anderlecht for a fee of around £10million. He only managed 13 appearances for the German outfit before he injured his Achilles which ruled him out for the remainder of the 2006/07 campaign.
He would go on to only make a total of 51 appearances or Hamburg before joining Manchester City at the start of the 2008/09 season for a fee of around £6million.
He was also a regular in the Belgium national side throughout his career, making 89 appearances and scoring four goals. He also played in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, where Belgium finished third.
Kompany was named Anderlecht manager on a full-time basis in August 2020 and improved the club's league position, finishing fourth in the table and qualifying for the Europa Conference.
The success was swift, with Burnley taking top spot in the Championship in October and never letting it go.
Kompany returned Burnley to the Championship with seven games to spare and also took the club to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, where they lost 6-0 to his old club Manchester City
On May 29, 2024, Kompany left Burnley to become the new head coach of Bayern Munich, agreeing a contract until 2027 to replace Thomas Tuchel at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern reportedly agreed a compensation fee of £10.2million with the Clarets for Kompany.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge of FC Bayern,” said Kompany.
“It’s a great honour to be able to work for this club – FC Bayern is an institution in international football.
“As a coach, you have to stand for what you are as a character: I love having the ball, being creative – but we also have to be aggressive and courageous on the pitch.
“I’m now looking forward to the basics: working with the players, building a team. Once the basis is right, success will follow.”
He is tasked with regaining the Bundesliga title after Bayer Leverkusen ended Bayern’s 11-season stranglehold on the German league.
Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen: “All of us at the club agree that Vincent Kompany is the right coach for FC Bayern and we are very much looking forward to working with him.
“Max Eberl (board member) and Christoph Freund (sporting director) have worked tirelessly and meticulously to find a coach who will lead FC Bayern to success and continue to develop the club with new ideas.
“Vincent Kompany represents exactly the togetherness and team spirit that we need.”
Kompany is married to Manchester City fan Carla Higgs, who he began dating while he played for Hamburg. The couple have two children Sienna and Kai.
Kompany's net worth is reported to be around £35million.
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