Vincent Kompany facts for kids
![]() Kompany managing Bayern Munich in 2025
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany | |||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 10 April 1986 | |||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Uccle, Brussels, Belgium | |||||||||||||||
Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||
Team information | ||||||||||||||||
Current team
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Bayern Munich (head coach) | |||||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
2000–2003 | Anderlecht | |||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
2003–2006 | Anderlecht | 73 | (5) | |||||||||||||
2006–2008 | Hamburger SV | 29 | (1) | |||||||||||||
2008–2019 | Manchester City | 265 | (18) | |||||||||||||
2019–2020 | Anderlecht | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||
Total | 382 | (25) | ||||||||||||||
International career | ||||||||||||||||
2002 | Belgium U16 | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
2002 | Belgium U17 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
2004–2019 | Belgium | 89 | (4) | |||||||||||||
Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
2019 | Anderlecht | |||||||||||||||
2020–2022 | Anderlecht | |||||||||||||||
2022–2024 | Burnley | |||||||||||||||
2024– | Bayern Munich | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany (born 10 April 1986) is a Belgian professional football manager and former player. He played as a strong centre-back. He is currently the head coach of the German club Bundesliga team Bayern Munich.
Kompany is famous for playing eleven seasons at Manchester City. He was the team's captain for eight of those years. He also played for the Belgium national team for fifteen years. He was also the captain for his country.
Vincent started his career at Anderlecht in Belgium. He then moved to Bundesliga club Hamburg in 2006. In 2008, he joined Premier League club Manchester City. There, he became one of the best centre-backs in the league. In the 2011–12 season, he became City's captain. He led his team to win the Premier League title, their first in 44 years. Kompany won many awards, including the Premier League Player of the Season in 2012. He won eleven more trophies with City and played 360 games.
Kompany played 89 games for Belgium. He started playing for his country in 2004 when he was 17. He played in the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2018. Belgium finished third in 2018, which was their best result ever. He was the team's captain from 2010.
In 2019, Kompany returned to Anderlecht as a player-manager. A year later, he stopped playing football professionally. He then became the full-time manager for Anderlecht. In 2022, he became the manager of Burnley. He led them to win the EFL Championship in his first season. However, Burnley was relegated from the Premier League the next season. In 2024, he became the manager of Bayern Munich. He led them to win the 2024–25 Bundesliga title in his first season.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at Anderlecht
Vincent Kompany was born in Uccle, Brussels. He began his football journey at Anderlecht when he was 17. His first professional game was on 30 July 2003. He played in a UEFA Champions League match against Rapid București. He scored his first goal on 1 February 2004. This was in a 3–1 win against Sint-Truiden.
Kompany won several awards in Belgium. These included the Belgian Golden Shoe and the Belgian Ebony Shoe. Many top European clubs wanted him. But he decided to stay at Anderlecht to develop his skills. He extended his contract in November 2003.
Moving to Hamburg

On 9 June 2006, Kompany joined Hamburger SV in Germany. He moved for about €10 million. In his first season, he played only six league games. He then got an Achilles injury in November. This injury kept him out for the rest of the season.
Kompany scored a goal on 29 July 2007. This was in a 4–0 win against Dacia Chișinău. Hamburg won the UEFA Intertoto Cup that year. In August 2008, Kompany had a disagreement with Hamburg. This was because he wanted to play in the Olympic tournament in China.
Time at Manchester City
Joining the Premier League
On 22 August 2008, Kompany signed with Premier League club Manchester City. He signed a four-year contract. He played his first game two days later. City won 3–0 against West Ham United. On 28 September, he scored his first goal for City. This was in a 2–1 loss to Wigan Athletic. Early in his time at City, Kompany played as a defensive midfielder.
In October 2009, Kompany signed a new five-year deal. He scored more goals for the club. He got the number 4 jersey for the 2010–11 season.
On 16 April 2011, Kompany captained Manchester City. They beat rivals Manchester United 1–0 in the FA Cup semi-final. He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year. In the 2011 FA Cup Final, City beat Stoke City 1–0. This was City's first major trophy in 35 years. Manager Roberto Mancini praised Kompany as "incredible." He said Kompany was one of the best defenders in Europe. Kompany won the club's Player of the Year awards. He played 50 games that season.
Captain and League Titles
Kompany became the official club captain for the 2011–12 season. On 30 April 2012, he scored a header in the Manchester derby. City won 1–0, putting them first in the league. On 11 May 2012, Kompany was named Barclays Player of the Season. This was a first for a City player.
On 13 May, the last day of the season, Kompany led his team. They won 3–2 against Queens Park Rangers. This dramatic win secured the league title for City. It was their first league title since 1968. On 25 July, Kompany signed a six-year contract. This was the longest in the club's history.
The 2012–13 season was not as successful. City finished second in the league. They also lost the FA Cup Final 1–0 to Wigan Athletic. Kompany missed part of the season due to injury.
On 2 March 2014, Kompany captained City to win the League Cup Final. They beat Sunderland 3–1. On 11 May, he scored in a 2–0 win against West Ham United. This helped City win the 2013–14 Premier League title.
Later Years and Injuries

During the 2014–15 season, Kompany played 33 games. However, the team did not win any major trophies. In April 2015, he got a muscle injury. This was the start of many recurring injuries for him.
In February 2016, he played in the 2016 Football League Cup Final. City beat Liverpool, and Kompany was named man of the match. But in May, he got another injury. This meant he missed Euro 2016 with Belgium. By November 2016, he had suffered 37 injuries since joining City. He had missed over two years of playing time. Despite this, he remained important to the team.
On 25 February 2018, he scored in a 3–0 win over Arsenal. This was in the 2018 EFL Cup Final. He was named man of the match. City won the league title with a record 100 points.
On 6 May 2019, Kompany scored a fantastic goal against Leicester City. It was his first goal from outside the box for the club. This win helped City stay at the top of the 2018–19 Premier League table. They won the title six days later. Kompany also lifted the EFL Cup in February 2019. He played in the 2019 FA Cup Final, which City won 6–0. This completed a historic domestic treble for the club.
On 17 August 2020, Manchester City announced plans for a statue of Kompany. It is outside the Etihad Stadium. This was to celebrate his huge contribution to the club. The statue was unveiled on 28 August 2021.
Return to Anderlecht as Player-Manager
On 19 May 2019, Kompany left Manchester City. He returned to his first club, Anderlecht, as a player-manager. The team had a tough start to the season. On 22 August, Kompany decided to step down from managing on the field. He wanted to focus on playing.
International Career
Kompany first played for Belgium at age 17. This was on 18 February 2004, in a 2–0 loss to France.
He played in the Olympic football tournament in China in 2008. His club, Hamburg, finally allowed him to go. In Belgium's first game, he was sent off. Hamburg then demanded he return for the Bundesliga season.
In November 2009, Kompany had a disagreement with the Belgium manager. He was removed from the squad for a short time. But he was called back in February 2010.
On 19 May 2010, Kompany captained Belgium for the first time. He also scored his first international goal. This was in a 2–1 friendly win against Bulgaria. In June 2013, he suffered a concussion and facial injuries. This happened in a World Cup qualifier against Serbia. He played the rest of the match despite his injuries.
On 13 May 2014, Kompany was chosen for Belgium's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad. He captained the team in their first World Cup match in 12 years. Injuries made him miss UEFA Euro 2016.
At the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Kompany played in five matches. Belgium reached the semi-finals, losing to France. They then beat England to finish third. This was Belgium's best-ever finish in the World Cup.
Playing Style
Kompany was known as one of the best defenders in football. He was strong and smart as a centre back. He was excellent at heading the ball and moving around the field. He was also a great leader. He had good technique and could pass the ball well. He was very good at tackling and understanding the game. He could predict what his opponents would do.
Kompany first played as a central or defensive midfielder. Later, he moved to play as a centre-back. Even though he was very skilled, he often had injuries during his career.
Managerial Career
Anderlecht Manager
On 17 August 2020, Kompany became the head coach at Anderlecht. He retired from playing football on the same day. His first game as manager was a 1–1 draw. In the Belgian Cup, his team reached the semi-finals. The league season ended with them qualifying for the play-offs. They finished fourth and made it to the UEFA Europa Conference League.
In August 2021, Anderlecht was knocked out of the Conference League qualifiers. They lost to Dutch club Vitesse. In the cup, they reached the final. But they lost on penalties to Gent on 18 April 2022. They finished third in the league.
Burnley Manager

Winning the Championship
On 14 June 2022, Kompany became the manager of EFL Championship club Burnley. This was after the club was relegated from the Premier League. His first game on 29 July was a 1–0 win. He won the EFL Championship Manager of the Month award for October. His team had five wins and three draws that month. He won the award again for December and January. Burnley finished the year at the top of the league. He also won the award for February 2023.
Burnley secured promotion to the Premier League on 7 April 2023. They had seven matches left to play. On 23 April, Kompany was named Championship manager of the season. His team then beat Blackburn Rovers on 25 April to win the division title. He signed a new contract on 7 May 2023, keeping him at Burnley until 2028. Burnley finished the season with 101 points. They lost only three matches out of 46.
Premier League Relegation
Kompany's first game as a Premier League manager was on 11 August 2023. His team lost 3–0 at home to Manchester City. On 23 December 2023, Burnley won 2–0 against Fulham. This moved them out of the relegation zone. This match was also special because a woman was the referee for the first time in the Premier League.
On 30 March 2024, Kompany was sent off for protesting a referee's decision. At the end of the season, Burnley was relegated from the Premier League. They finished 19th with 24 points.
Bayern Munich Manager
On 29 May 2024, Kompany was appointed as the new head coach of Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. He signed a three-year deal. Bayern paid about £10.2 million to Burnley for his contract. This made Kompany one of the most expensive managers ever. Bayern had not won any trophies the season before.
Kompany's first game for Bayern was on 16 August 2024. They won 4–0 in the DFB-Pokal cup. Nine days later, his Bundesliga debut was a 3–2 win. In mid-September, his team scored 20 goals in three games. This included a 9–2 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb. He became the first manager to score more than eight goals in a Champions League match.
On 4 May 2025, Bayern was confirmed as 2024–25 Bundesliga champions. They had lost only twice in 32 league matches.
Managerial Style
Experts like Adrian Clarke and Thom Harris have described Kompany's coaching style. They say it is similar to his former Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola. Kompany's teams focus on passing the ball and keeping possession. This is very different from the direct style of Burnley's previous manager, Sean Dyche.
Charity Work
Kompany is an official ambassador for the charity SOS Children. His father is from the Congo. Kompany supports projects there. These projects help children living in poverty get an education and safe homes.
In March 2013, Kompany bought a Belgian football club called Bleid. He did this to help young people in Brussels. He wanted to give disadvantaged youngsters a chance to improve their lives through sport.
Personal Life
Kompany's father, Pierre, is a Congolese immigrant to Belgium. He also works as Vincent's agent. In October 2018, Pierre became the mayor of Ganshoren. This made him the first black mayor in Belgium. Vincent's mother, Jocelyne, was Belgian. The Kompany family faced racism.
When Vincent was 14, he was expelled from school. This was because he missed many classes playing for the Belgium youth team. He also faced challenges when his parents divorced. Kompany said that he could have chosen a "wrong path" at that age.
His brother, François Kompany, also played football. Vincent has an older sister too. He is friends with former footballers like Yves Ma-Kalambay and Floribert N'Galula.
Kompany married his girlfriend, Carla Higgs, on 11 June 2011. She is a lifelong Manchester City fan. They have a daughter born in 2010, and two sons, born in 2013 and 2015.
Kompany has many interests outside football. He is interested in politics. He earned an MBA degree from Manchester Business School in 2018. Kompany is known for being smart and speaking well. He grew up speaking French and learned Flemish at school. He also speaks fluent German and English. He knows some Italian and Spanish too.
In April 2014, Kompany opened two sports bars in Belgium. They were called Good Kompany. However, he closed both bars within a year. He said that while they had enough customers, the money they made was not enough to cover the costs.
Career Statistics
Club
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Anderlecht | 2003–04 | Belgian First Division | 29 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 2 | |
2004–05 | Belgian First Division | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | — | 40 | 2 | |||
2005–06 | Belgian First Division | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | — | 19 | 2 | |||
Total | 73 | 5 | 7 | 0 | — | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 103 | 6 | |||
Hamburger SV | 2006–07 | Bundesliga | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 13 | 1 | |
2007–08 | Bundesliga | 22 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 11 | 2 | — | 37 | 3 | |||
2008–09 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
Total | 29 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 2 | — | 51 | 4 | |||
Manchester City | 2008–09 | Premier League | 34 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 45 | 1 | |
2009–10 | Premier League | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 2 | |||
2010–11 | Premier League | 37 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 50 | 0 | ||
2011–12 | Premier League | 31 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 3 | |
2012–13 | Premier League | 26 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
2013–14 | Premier League | 28 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 37 | 5 | ||
2014–15 | Premier League | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
2015–16 | Premier League | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 22 | 2 | ||
2016–17 | Premier League | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 3 | ||
2017–18 | Premier League | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 21 | 2 | ||
2018–19 | Premier League | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
Total | 265 | 18 | 21 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 56 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 360 | 20 | ||
Anderlecht | 2019–20 | Belgian First Division A | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 1 | |||
Career total | 382 | 25 | 35 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 94 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 532 | 31 |
International
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Belgium | 2004 | 8 | 0 |
2005 | 6 | 0 | |
2006 | 2 | 0 | |
2007 | 5 | 0 | |
2008 | 6 | 0 | |
2009 | 2 | 0 | |
2010 | 7 | 1 | |
2011 | 10 | 1 | |
2012 | 6 | 2 | |
2013 | 4 | 0 | |
2014 | 11 | 0 | |
2015 | 5 | 0 | |
2016 | 0 | 0 | |
2017 | 3 | 0 | |
2018 | 12 | 0 | |
2019 | 2 | 0 | |
Total | 89 | 4 |
- Belgium score listed first, score column indicates score after each Kompany goal
No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 May 2010 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 31 | ![]() |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
2 | 7 October 2011 | 43 | ![]() |
3–0 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
3 | 7 September 2012 | Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | 48 | ![]() |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
4 | 16 October 2012 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 51 | ![]() |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Managerial Statistics
Team | From | To | Record | ||||
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P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
Anderlecht | 1 July 2019 | 22 August 2019 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.00 |
Anderlecht | 17 August 2020 | 1 June 2022 | 92 | 42 | 32 | 18 | 45.65 |
Burnley | 14 June 2022 | 29 May 2024 | 96 | 41 | 24 | 31 | 42.71 |
Bayern Munich | 29 May 2024 | Present | 56 | 38 | 9 | 9 | 67.86 |
Total | 248 | 121 | 67 | 60 | 48.79 |
Honours and Awards
Player Achievements
Anderlecht
- Belgian First Division: 2003–04, 2005–06
Hamburger SV
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2007
Manchester City
- Premier League: 2011–12, 2013–14, 2017–18, 2018–19
- FA Cup: 2010–11, 2018–19
- EFL Cup: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19
- FA Community Shield: 2012, 2018
Belgium National Team
- FIFA World Cup third place: 2018
Individual Player Awards
- Belgian Golden Shoe: 2004
- Belgian Young Professional Footballer of the Year: 2004, 2005
- Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year: 2004–05
- Belgian Ebony Shoe: 2004, 2005
- Premier League Player of the Season: 2011–12
- PFA Team of the Year: 2010–11 Premier League, 2011–12 Premier League, 2013–14 Premier League
- Premier League Hall of Fame: 2022
Manager Achievements
Burnley
- EFL Championship: 2022–23
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 2024–25
Individual Manager Awards
- EFL Championship Manager of the Month: October 2022, December 2022, January 2023, February 2023
- EFL Championship Manager of the Season: 2022–23
See also
In Spanish: Vincent Kompany para niños