Vincent Kompany named player-manager of Anderlecht after leaving Man City

Kompany issued a lengthy Facebook post to reveal his next move after announcing his Manchester City exit

Jack de Menezes
Sunday 19 May 2019 12:06 BST
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Vincent Kompany in profile

Vincent Kompany has announced that he will become player-manager of Belgian side Anderlecht, after confirming that he is leaving Manchester City following 11 years with the Premier League club.

In a lengthy Facebook post, Kompany outlined his plans for the future following his Etihad Stadium departure, which comes after captaining City through their most successful decade in the club’s history.

Kompany will return to Anderlecht 13 years after leaving the club for Hamburg, having come through the academy system to develop into one of the best defenders in the game.

Writing on Facebook, Kompany said: “And yet I choose to rebel against what an end wants to be. I choose to be grateful for the past but remain ambitious and driven for the future. For the next 3 years, I will take up the role of Player-Manager of RSC Anderlecht. Belgium’s finest.

“This may come as a surprise to you. It’s the most passionate yet rational decision I’ve ever made.”

Kompany has kept his first foray into management under wraps, having revealed that he first met with Anderlecht chairman Marc Coucke and sporting director Michael Verschueren as early as last summer, before being offered the role of player-manager in the last few weeks.

"I shared my thoughts and listened to their vision for the future: ambitious, courageous and determined to get back to number one," he added.

"I offered my help, no strings attached, should they need it.

"I want to share my knowledge with the next purple generations. With that, I will also put a bit of Manchester in the heart of Belgium. This is no goodbye. It's a see you later."

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