Vincent Kompany
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 6/2014
Personal information
Full name:
Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany
Date of birth:
10 April 1986
Place of birth:
Uccle, Brussels, Belgium
Height:
1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Playing position:
Centre back
Club information
Current team:
Manchester City
Number:
4
Youth career
Anderlecht
2000-2003
Senior career*
Anderlecht:
2006
73x apps / 6x goals
Hamburger SV:
2006-2008
29x apps / 1x goals
Manchester City:
2008-
167x apps / 10x goals
National team
Belgium U16:
2002
3x apps / 0x goals
Belgium U17:
2002
2x apps / 0x goals
Belgium:
2004-
60x apps / 4x goals
* (appearances national team caps and goals correct as of 17 June 2014
Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany, born 10 April 1986, is a Belgian professional footballer who plays for and captains both English club Manchester City and the Belgium national team.
He is capable of playing at both centre back and defensive midfield.
In the 2011-12 season he was awarded the captaincy of Manchester City, leading his club to win the Premier League that season, their first league title in 44 years.
He is also chairman of Belgium D3B Division club BX Brussels, as well as owner-operator of two Belgian Sports Bars named Good Kompany.
Kompany began his professional career at Anderlecht, spending three years at the Belgian club before moving to German Bundesliga club Hamburg in 2006.
In the summer of 2008, at the age of 22, he completed a transfer to his current club, Premier League side Manchester City.
He has since established himself as an integral part of the Manchester City squad and is one of the bargain buys of the revolutionised City era, blossoming into one of the Premier League's best centre backs.
Kompany was included in the Premier League Team of the Year for two years in a row in 2011 and 2012 as well as being included in the 2014 team, and won the Premier League Player of the Season in 2012.
He was listed 23rd in The 100 best footballers in the world by The Guardian.
Club career
Anderlecht
Born in Uccle, Brussels, Kompany started his career at Anderlecht at the age of 17, winning several awards including the Belgian Golden Shoe and the Belgian Ebony Shoe.
Another player, Aruna Dindane, decided to wear the number 27 on his shirt upon his arrival at Lens Summer 2005, in dedication to Kompany.
Hamburg
On 9 June 2006, it was announced, however, that he was acquired by Hamburger SV for a fee of €10 million, replacing 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.
Despite his lack of involvement in the season, he was selected in a 30-man provisional squad for the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
Manchester City
On 22 August 2008, Premier League club Manchester City confirmed the transfer of Kompany from Hamburg on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £6 million.
He was handed the number 33 shirt for the 2008-09 season by manager Mark Hughes.
Two days later, Kompany made his Manchester City debut against West Ham United.
On 28 September, Kompany scored his first goal in City's 2:1 away defeat to Wigan Athletic.
On 28 December 2008, he started the game with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park as a holding midfielder and also completed the full 90 minutes in a 2:2 draw.
On 19 October 2009, Kompany signed a new five-year deal with City that will 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 away win against Burnley at Turf Moor.
Kompany was handed the number 4 jersey for the 2010-11 season after previous number 4 Nedum Onuoha moved on loan to Sunderland.
On 14 August 2010, he started the opening Premier League fixture and received a yellow card from referee Andre Marriner against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane and completed the full 90 minutes alongside Kolo Touré in a 0:0 draw.
Kompany put in a Man of the Match performance in the 1:0 home win against Chelsea at the City of Manchester Stadium on 25 September.
On 10 November, Kompany started the Manchester derby league game with Manchester United at the City of Manchester Stadium and played the full 90 minutes in a goalless draw.
On 12 February 2011, he started the Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford and played the full 90 minutes, partnering with Joleon Lescott in a disappointing 2:1 defeat.
On 25 April, he again continued to captain the side in the absence of star striker Carlos Tevez against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, playing the full 90 minutes alongside Joleon Lescott in an important 1:0 victory courtesy of a late 75th minute strike from Edin Džeko.
On 16 April, Kompany captained Manchester City's victory over main rivals Manchester United in the 2010-11 season FA Cup Semi Final at Wembley Stadium.
City won the game 1:0. Later that day, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year alongside City teammate Carlos Tevez.
At the end of the 2010-11 season, team manager Roberto Mancini praised Kompany's "incredible" season and claimed that with his attitude and mentality, Kompany can become one of the best defenders in Europe.
He finished the season winning the Manchester City Official Supporter's Player of the Year, Manchester City Player's Player of the Year, and the Premier League Player of the Season for his outstanding performances throughout the season, clocking up 50 appearances in all competitions and also making 37 Premier League starts in the process.
On 30 April, he scored a header from a David Silva corner against Manchester United in the Manchester derby.
The game finished 1:0 to city and put them in first place ahead of united on goal difference with only two games of the season remaining.
On 13 May, the final day of the Premier League season, Kompany captained the team that won the Premier League for the 2011-12 season, which ended in a 3:2 win to City, helping Manchester City win the trophy with their win against Queens Park Rangers.
In the same match, QPR midfielder Joey Barton attempted to headbutt Kompany. On 25 July, Kompany signed a six-year contract with Manchester City, the longest of its kind in the club's history.
On 11 May 2014, Kompany scored Manchester City's second goal in a 2:0 defeat of West Ham United as the club won the 2013-14 Premier League title.
International career
Kompany made his international debut aged just 17 for Belgium in February 2004 against France, as one of the youngest players ever.
The Belgian Federation called up Kompany to the 2008 Olympics. Initially, Hamburg decided not to let him go as the Olympics was not an official FIFA tournament.
After a dispute, Hamburg decided to release him under the condition that he returned after Belgium's first two group games.
At the Beijing Olympics, Belgium's first game was against Brazil where he was sent off in a 1:0 loss, and as a consequence his tournament was over as the red card would rule him out of Belgium's second group game.
Due to the turn of events, Kompany decided against returning to Germany in hope of playing the last group game to help his country qualify for the knockout stages.
Hamburg maintained their stance that he had to return, and the Belgian FA decided to release him.
He later came on as a substitute in the opening game for Hamburg against Bayern Munich.
The rocky relationship with Hamburg and Kompany is said to be a major factor in Kompany transferring to Manchester City.
In November 2009, Kompany fell out with the Belgium manager Dick Advocaat.
On the Monday before the friendly match with Qatar on 18 November 2009, Kompany received permission to attend the funeral of his grandmother as long as he returned to the team hotel before 6 pm that evening. As it happened, he did not return until nearly midnight.
Furious, Advocaat removed him from the squad altogether, although on 24 February 2010 he was recalled to the Belgium squad by Advocaat for the friendly against Croatia.
On 19 May 2010, Kompany scored a 90th-minute goal to give Belgium a 2:1 win over Bulgaria in a friendly.
On 10 November 2011, a day before the friendly against Romania, Georges Leekens named Kompany as Belgium captain, succeeding Thomas Vermaelen.
After 34 minutes of Belgium's 2:1 World Cup qualifier win against Serbia in June 2013, Kompany suffered concussion and facial injuries, including a broken nose and cracked eye-socket, in a collision with goalkeeper Vladimir Stojković.
After receiving first aid on the touchline, he played out the remainder of the match.
On 13 May 2014, Kompany was named in the Belgium squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
He captained the Red Devils in their first World Cup match in 12 years, a 2:1 win against Algeria in Belo Horizonte.
Charity work
Kompany is an official FIFA ambassador for registered charity SOS Children.
Of Congolese heritage, Kompany represents his father's native Congo, and has invested and engaged in projects which aim to provide an education and safe living accommodation for children living in poverty.
In March 2013, Kompany bought the Belgian third division club FC Bleid as a "social commitment towards the youngsters of Brussels", with the intention of offering disadvantaged youngsters the opportunity to use sport as a vehicle for self-improvement.
Personal life
Kompany's father, Pierre, is a Congolese immigrant to Belgium and serves as his agent. His mother, Jocelyne, is Belgian.
His brother, François Kompany currently plays for Sint-Niklaas, having previously had spells at Germinal Beerschot and Macclesfield Town.
Kompany also has an older sister. Among his friends are former Chelsea goalkeeper Yves Ma-Kalambay and former Manchester United defender Floribert N'Galula, both of whom he consulted about his move to England before joining Manchester City.