Kompany began his professional career atAnderlecht; having graduated from theiryouth system, he was with the club for three seasons as a first-team player before moving toBundesliga clubHamburg in 2006. In the summer of 2008, he completed a transfer toPremier 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 the2011–12 season, he was awarded thecaptaincy of City, leading his club to win the Premier League that season, their first league title in 44 years. Kompany was included in thePremier League Team of the Year in 2011, 2012, and 2014, and won thePremier League Player of the Season in 2012. Kompany won eleven more trophies at City and made 360 total appearances.[7]
Kompany earned 89caps forBelgium 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 the2008 Olympics and went to theFIFA World Cup in2014 and2018, coming a best-ever third at the latter. He served ascaptain from 2010.
In 2019, when his contract expired after eleven years at City, Kompany returned to Anderlecht asplayer-manager. A year later, he announced his retirement from professional football and became the first-team manager. In 2022, he was hired byBurnley, winning theEFL Championship in his first season, before beingrelegated from the Premier League thefollowing season. He was appointed byBayern Munich in 2024 following the departure ofThomas Tuchel and won the2024–25 Bundesliga in his first season at the club.
Born inUccle, Brussels, Kompany started his career atAnderlecht at the age of 17. He made his professional debut on 30 July 2003 in aUEFA Champions League second qualifying round first leg away toRapid București, starting in a goalless draw.[8] His first goal on 1 February 2004 came in a 3–1 win away toSint-Truiden.[9]
Kompany won several awards including theBelgian Golden Shoe and theBelgian Ebony Shoe. Although several top European sides immediately showed interest, the player and his entourage decided to first develop a few more years at Anderlecht. "Don't you worry, I will stay here," he told Berend Scholten at UEFA.com. "At the moment the zeros in my contract are not so important. If I wanted to leave, I would have been gone already."[10] In November 2003, still under contract until 2006, he agreed to extend his deal for two more years upon his 18th birthday in April 2004.[11]
In late 2003, Kompany was a target forManchester United managerAlex Ferguson to cover the long-term suspension of defenderRio Ferdinand. Ferguson attended Anderlecht's trip toCeltic in the Champions League group stage so that he could watch Kompany, but was instead impressed by Celtic midfielderLiam Miller and signed him.[12] Additionally, Kompany's mother would not let him transfer until he had finished his education.[13]
On 9 June 2006 it was announced that Kompany had been acquired byHamburger SV for a fee of €10 million, as a replacement for fellow BelgianDaniel Van Buyten.[14] In his debut season for Hamburg, he managed only sixBundesliga starts for the club before suffering anachilles injury in November that ruled him out for the rest of the season.[15] Despite his lack of involvement in the season, he was selected in a 30-man provisional squad for the2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.[16]
Kompany scored on 29 July 2007 in a 4–0 win (5–1 aggregate) over Moldova'sDacia Chișinău in the last round of theUEFA Intertoto Cup.[17] Hamburg won the title via being the Intertoto team that advanced furthest in the2007–08 UEFA Cup.[18]
In August 2008, Kompany fell out with Hamburg over his decision to play at theOlympic tournament in China. After leaving the club, he criticised chairmanBernd Hoffmann as "one of those people who know about money, but don't know anything about football". Kompany speculated that the club's lack of success in the past 20 years despite its large supporter base could not be attributed to the players alone.[19]
On 22 August 2008,Premier League clubManchester City signed Kompany from Hamburg on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[20] He made his debut two days later in a 3–0 home win againstWest Ham United, playing the entire match.[21] On 28 September, Kompany scored his first goal in City's 2–1 away defeat byWigan Athletic.[22] During his early time at Manchester City, Kompany played as a defensive midfielder.[23]
On 19 October 2009, Kompany signed a new five-year deal with City that would keep him at the club until 2014.[24] He scored his second league goal for the club in a 2–0 home win againstPortsmouth[25] and his third in a 6–1 win againstBurnley atTurf Moor.[26]
Kompany was handed the number 4 jersey for the2010–11 season after previous wearerNedum Onuoha moved onloan toSunderland. On 25 April, Kompany again continued tocaptain the side in the absence of strikerCarlos Tevez againstBlackburn Rovers atEwood Park, playing the full 90 minutes alongside Lescott in a 1–0 victory.[27] On 16 April, Kompany captained Manchester City's victory over main rivals Manchester United in theFA Cupsemi-final atWembley; City won the game 1–0.[28] Later that day, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year alongside teammate Tevez.[29]
In the2011 FA Cup Final, Kompany started and finished the match, a 1–0 victory overStoke City, which delivered Manchester City's first major trophy for 35 years.[30] At the end of the 2010–11 season, in which City qualified for theUEFA Champions League for the first time, managerRoberto Mancini praised Kompany as "incredible", and called him one of the top defenders inEurope, with the potential to be number one in the world.[31]
He finished the season winning the club's Supporters' Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year awards,[32] clocking up 50 appearances in all competitions including 37 Premier League starts.[33][34]
Kompany was firmly installed as club captain for the2011–12 season, with Tevez having expressed publicly his desire to leave the club.[35] The opening fixture on 7 August 2011 was theCommunity Shield, which ended in a 3–2 defeat to rivals Manchester United despite City holding a two-goal lead at half-time.[36]
On 30 April 2012, Kompany scored with a header from aDavid 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.[37] On 11 May 2012, Kompany was namedBarclays Player of the Season for his outstanding performance in the Premier League, the first time the award was won by a City player.[38]
On 13 May, the final day of the Premier League season, Kompany led the team againstQueens Park Rangers which ended in a dramatic 3–2 win, securing the league title for the club for the first time since 1968. QPR midfielderJoey Barton attempted to headbutt Kompany during the match. On 25 July, Kompany signed a six-year contract with Manchester City,[39] the longest of its kind in the club's history.
After winning the curtain-raisingCommunity Shield 3–2 against Chelsea (Kompany lifting the trophy at the unfamiliar venue ofVilla Park),[40] the2012–13 season was something of a disappointment for the club as they finished bottom of theirChampions League group, placed second in the league (but far behind winners Manchester United) and lost theFA Cup Final 1–0 to Wigan Athletic.[41] Kompany played in that final, but had missed part of the league campaign due to injury, with Mancini citing his absence as a major factor in the failure to retain the title.[42]
On 2 March 2014, Kompany captained the Manchester City team that won theLeague Cup Final, beating Sunderland 3–1.[43] On 11 May, he scored Manchester City's second goal in a 2–0 win against West Ham United as the club won the2013–14 Premier Leaguetitle.[44]
During2014–15, Kompany accumulated 33 appearances in all competitions, but the club could only finish runners-up in the league and were eliminated from the domestic and continental cups at early stages, also losing out in theCommunity Shield.[45] In April 2015, he suffered a muscular injury during the Manchester derby which ended his campaign early,[46] and this would prove to be the start of a long spell of recurring injuries (mainly muscularstrains) for a player who had already endured a number of physical problems since his arrival in England.[47][42]
After scoring in the team's opening twoPremier League fixtures, Kompany suffered a strain to hiscalf in the opening weeks of the2015–16 season[48] and lasted just minutes into his comeback match in December.[49] in February 2016, he was fit to take part in theLeague Cup Final in which City defeatedLiverpool, and was named man of the match;[50] however in May he was again forced off in the early stages of theChampions League semi-final, finishing with 22 appearances and subsequently missingEuro 2016 with Belgium.[51]
Kompany training with City, 2017
Having returned to the first team in October 2016, on 9 November Kompany withdrew from international duty with discomfort,[52] and on 22 November he sustained a knee injury.[53] At that time, an analysis showed that he had suffered 37 injuries since joining Manchester City in 2008 and had missed over two years (878 days) in that eight-year period.[47] By April 2017, he had recovered, and scored in a victory over Tottenham Hotspur, commenting on his issues that "The main thing is self-belief and experience". ManagerPep Guardiola kept Kompany in the team for theFA Cup semi-final, and he played the entirety of the match which went toextra time; City lost the tie to eventual winnersArsenal,[54] finishing2016–17 without a trophy. Kompany appeared just 15 times during the campaign, although his continued importance to the team was evidenced by the fact he would always return to the starting line-up as soon as he was fit.
Kompany played in eight league matches for Manchester City during the first portion of2017–18, suffering further strains during the period,[55][56][57] before withdrawing minutes into an away fixture againstNewcastle on 27 December;[58] Guardiola's responses in the press conferences suggested he was losing patience with the situation.[57][59][60] He returned to the team on 3 February 2018, completing the 90 minutes of a 1–1 draw away to Burnley whileAymeric Laporte, the club's new record signing in the same position, remained on the bench throughout.[61] On 25 February, he scored Manchester City's second goal of a 3–0 victory over Arsenal in the2018 EFL Cup Final, and was named man of the match.[62] he eventually managed 17 league starts as Manchester City wonthe title with a record 100 points.[63]
On 6 May 2019, Kompany scored Manchester City's only goal during a 1–0 victory overLeicester City with his first goal from outside the box for the club.[64] The result put the club one point ahead at the top of the2018–19 Premier League table, and they retained the title by the same margin six days later. Kompany had already lifted the EFL Cup again in February 2019 aftera penalty shootout victory over Chelsea. He played the whole of the2019 FA Cup Final, a 6–0 victory overWatford, as the club completed an unprecedenteddomestic treble[65] (plus theCommunity Shield).
Statue of Kompany outside of the Etihad Stadium
On 17 August 2020, Manchester City chairmanKhaldoon Al Mubarak announced plans for a statue of Kompany at the Etihad Stadium, along with teammates Sergio Aguero and David Silva, to commemorate his "transformational" contribution at City.[66] The statues of Kompany and Silva were unveiled on 28 August 2021.[67]
On 19 May 2019, it was announced that Kompany would be leaving Manchester City to becomeplayer-manager of his first clubAnderlecht.[68] With two defeats, two goalless draws, six goals conceded and three scored, the Brussels-based club had endured their worst opening start to a league campaign since the 1998–99 season. On 22 August, Kompany decided to step down from managerial duties on the pitch, to focus primarily on being a player. Head coachSimon Davies would be placed in charge of tactical changes and substitutions, while Kompany would be given the captain's arm band.[69]
Kompany made his international debut forBelgium at the age of 17 on 18 February 2004, starting in a 2–0 home loss toFrance.[70]
Kompany went to theOlympic football tournament in China in 2008, after his club Hamburg finally authorised his absence.[71] In Belgium's opening game, he andMarouane Fellaini were sent off in a 1–0 loss toBrazil.[72] Hamburg demanded that he return to Germany for the start of the Bundesliga season.[73] He did not take the flight back, allegedly due to a lost passport, and Hamburg demanded thatFIFA take action against theRoyal Belgian Football Association.[74] Kompany and Fellaini eventually did leave the tournament for their clubs in Europe.[75]
In November 2009, Kompany fell out with the Belgium managerDick Advocaat. Before the friendly match with Qatar, Kompany received permission to attend his grandmother's funeral as long as he returned to the team hotel before 6 pm that evening. He did not return until nearly midnight and Advocaat removed him from the squad altogether, although on 24 February 2010, he was recalled for the friendly againstCroatia.[76]
On 19 May 2010, Kompany captained Belgium for the first time and scored his first international goal in the 90th minute for a 2–1 friendly win overBulgaria at theKing Baudouin Stadium.[77] After 34 minutes of Belgium's 2–1World Cup qualifier win againstSerbia in June 2013, Kompany suffered concussion and facial injuries, including a broken nose and cracked eye-socket, in a collision with goalkeeperVladimir Stojković. After receiving first aid on the touchline, he played out the remainder of the match.[78]
On 13 May 2014, Kompany was named in the Belgium squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup.[79] He captained the Red Devils in their first World Cup match in 12 years, a 2–1 win againstAlgeria inBelo Horizonte.[80] Injuries sustained during the season caused him to missUEFA Euro 2016.[51]
At the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Kompany featured in five of his nation's seven matches, playing every minute in theknockout phase as they advanced to the semi-finals before losing to eventual championsFrance, overcomingEngland to finish third, their highest ever placing in the competition.[81]
Kompany was described as one of the best defenders in world football,[7] and in the history of the Premier League;[82][83] he was recognised to be an intelligent and physically strongcentre back, with excellent aerial ability, mobility, and leadership qualities, as well as good technique and distribution. He was also a very accurate tackler, with strong positional sense, and excelled at reading the game and anticipating his opponents.[7][82][84][85]
Kompany initially played as acentral ordefensive midfielder before being moved to a centre-back role.[82][83] Despite his ability, he often struggled with injuries throughout his career.[82]
On 17 August 2020, it was announced that Kompany would be the head coach atAnderlecht for the next four seasons, after retiring from professional football on the same day.[86] He made his debut six days later in a 1–1 home draw withMouscron, conceding the equaliser in added time.[87] In theBelgian Cup, the teamreached the semi-finals before a 2–1 elimination byGenk in March.[88] Theleague campaign ended with qualification for the play-offs, in which they came fourth and made theUEFA Europa Conference League.[89]
On 14 June 2022, Kompany was appointed manager ofEFL Championship clubBurnley on a deal of undisclosed length, following the club's relegation from thePremier League.[93] On his debut on 29 July, he won 1–0 atHuddersfield Town with a goal by debutantIan Maatsen.[94] An impressive October, where his side picked up five wins and three draws in an unbeaten month, saw Kompany awarded theEFL Championship Manager of the Month award, finishing the month on top of the table.[95] He won the award for a second time for December, a 100% record ensuring that Burnley finished the calendar year top of the league.[96] He won the award for a second consecutive perfect month, finishing the month 17 points clear of third place.[97] Kompany also won the Manager of the Month award for February 2023 after having gained 14 points from six matches.[98]
Burnley secured promotion to thePremier League, with seven matches left, after a 2–1 away win overMiddlesbrough on 7 April 2023.[99] On 23 April, Kompany was named Championship manager of the season.[100] His side then beatBlackburn Rovers on 25 April to win the division title.[101] He signed a new contract on 7 May 2023, tying him to Burnley until 2028.[102] On the next day, Burnley won 3–0 againstCardiff City to finish the season with 101 points; hence, they managed to win their final matchday for the first time after six seasons and to be the first club to break the 100-point barrier since Leicester City in 2013–14, with only three defeats in 46 matches.[103]
On Kompany's debut as a Premier League manager on 11 August 2023, his side lost 3–0 at home to reigning champions Manchester City. Will Unwin ofThe Guardian wrote that the performance "showed more than enough that Kompany and his players will be in the Premier League for the long term".[104]
On 23 December 2023, Burnley won 2–0 against Fulham and moved out of the relegation zone. The match was also notable as the first in the Premier League where a woman was the referee. Kompany was reported as saying "I am happy to be part of this moment".[105]
On 30 March 2024, Kompany was sent off for protesting against the refereeDarren England over awarding the home side the penalty afterLorenz Assignon was sent off for foulingMykhailo Mudryk in their 2–2 draw againstChelsea. Nevertheless, he was charged by the FA for his action.[106]
At the end ofthe season, Burnley were relegated from the Premier League, finishing 19th with a club record low tally of 24 points.[107][108]The Athletic stated that already early in the season "Kompany's tactical naivety, stubbornness and inexperience" were highlighted. Kompany was also criticised for mainly buying inexperienced players, resulting in an uncompetitive squad.[109]The Independent ranked it as "one of the Premier League's worst-ever relegations", partly due to the club having been "naive in the transfer market, naive on the pitch and, by extension, naive in the boardroom".[110]
Kompany's debut on 16 August 2024 was a 4–0 win away to2. Bundesliga teamSSV Ulm 1846 in the first round of theDFB-Pokal.[115] Nine days later, his Bundesliga debut as a manager was a 3–2 win atVfL Wolfsburg.[116] In mid-September, prior to their annual visit toOktoberfest, his team scored 20 goals over three games – two away wins in the domestic league and a 9–2 Champions League victory overDinamo Zagreb,[117] becoming the first ever manager of a team to score more than eight goals in aChampions League match.
Adrian Clarke of the Premier League official website and Thom Harris ofThe Athletic wrote in 2023 that Kompany had a passing and possession-based style of football similar to his former Manchester City managerPep Guardiola, and greatly different to the direct and physical football of former Burnley managerSean Dyche.[120][121]
Kompany is an officialFIFA ambassador for registered charitySOS Children.[122] Of Congolese heritage, Kompany represents his father's nativeCongo, and has invested and engaged in projects which aim to provide an education and safe living accommodation for children living in poverty.[123][124]
In March 2013, Kompany bought the Belgian third division clubBleid as a "social commitment towards the youngsters of Brussels",[125] with the intention of offering disadvantaged youngsters the opportunity to use sport as a vehicle for self-improvement.[126]
Kompany's father,Pierre, is aCongolese immigrant to Belgium and serves as his agent. He had been interned as a student for rebelling againstMobutu Sese Seko, the dictator ofZaire.[127] In October 2018, Pierre was elected the mayor ofGanshoren, making him the first black mayor in Belgium.[128] His mother, Jocelyne, was Belgian and Kompany described her as a "socialist, borderline communist".[129] The Kompany family faced racism.[127] At age 14, he was expelled from school due to his frequent absences playing for the Belgium youth team, and also dropped from the team for clashing with the coach. He then faced further setbacks with his parents' divorce and eviction from his home. Kompany said in 2019 that due to widespread drugs and gangs in his local area, he could have chosen an "extremely wrong path" at this age.[127]
His brother,François Kompany, spent most of his career in theBelgian second tier, having earlier been on the books ofMacclesfield Town. Kompany also has an older sister. Among his friends are formerChelsea goalkeeperYves Ma-Kalambay and formerManchester United defenderFloribert N'Galula, both of whom he consulted about his move to England before joining Manchester City.[129] When Kompany was 20, his mother and sister underwent cancer treatment. His mother died and his sister survived.[130]
Kompany married hisMancunian girlfriend, Carla Higgs, a lifelong Manchester Citysupporter, on 11 June 2011 and together they have a daughter born in 2010,[131] and two sons, born in 2013 and 2015.[132]
Kompany has a number of pastimes and interests which keep him occupied outside of football.[133] He has an interest in politics and graduated with anMBA atManchester Business School in 2018 after several years of study.[134] Kompany has been characterised as "erudite" and "eloquent".[135] He was raised speaking French at home and learned Flemish at school due to the multilingual nature of Brussels. During the course of his football career, he learned and has since spoken fluent German and English, as well as intermediate levels of Italian and Spanish.[127]
In April 2014, Kompany opened two new sports bars in Belgium called Good Kompany, one at the Grand-Place inBrussels and the other at the Groenplaats inAntwerp. However, Kompany closed down both bars within a year of their opening. At the time of their closure, Kompany was quoted as saying: "I regret this decision. We had enough customers, turnover was good, but not enough to cover the costs. So that's where it ends. Lesson 1 in business: investments are always a risk. You win some, you lose some."[136]
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