Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre back and captains both English club Manchester City and the Belgium national team. 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. <\/P>
Kompany began his professional career at Anderlecht, spending three years at the Belgian club before moving to 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. Regarded as one of the best defenders in the world, he was listed 23rd in "The 100 Best Footballers in the World" by The Guardian.<\/P>
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. <\/P>
Hamburg
On 9 June 2006, however, it was announced that Kompany had been acquired by Hamburger SV for a fee of €10 million, as a replacement for fellow Belgian 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.<\/P>
Manchester City
On 22 August 2008, Premier League club Manchester City signed Kompany from Hamburg on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.<\/P>
On 19 October 2009, Kompany signed a new five-year deal with City that would keep him at the club until 2014.<\/P>
Kompany was handed the number 4 jersey for the 2010–11 season after previous wearer Nedum Onuoha moved on loan to Sunderland. <\/P>
In the 2011 FA Cup Final he started and finished the match, a 1–0 victory over Stoke City which delivered Manchester City's first major trophy for 35 years. At the end of the 2010–11 season, in which City qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time, 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.<\/P>
He finished the season winning the club's 'Supporter's Player of the Year' and 'Player's Player of the Year' awards, and the Premier League Player of the Season for his outstanding performances throughout the campaign, clocking up 50 appearances in all competitions including 37 Premier League starts.<\/P>
Kompany was firmly installed as club captain for the 2011–12 season, with Tevez having expressed publicly his desire to leave the club. <\/P>
On 25 July, Kompany signed a six-year contract with Manchester City, the longest of its kind in the club's history.<\/P>
On 2 March 2014 Kompany captained the Manchester City team that won the League Cup Final, beating Sunderland 3–1. On 11 May, he scored Manchester City's second goal in a 2–0 win against West Ham United as the club won the 2013–14 Premier League title.<\/P>
During 2014–15, 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 the Community Shield. <\/P>
Having returned to the first team in October 2016, on 9 November Kompany withdrew from international duty with discomfort, and on 22 November he sustained a knee injury.<\/P>
International career
Kompany made his international debut aged just 17 for Belgium in February 2004 against France, as one of the youngest players ever.<\/P>
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.<\/P>
Injuries sustained during the season caused him to miss the UEFA Euro 2016.<\/P>
Style of play
Kompany has been described as one of the best defenders in world football, and is recognised to be a physically strong centreback, with excellent aerial ability, and mobility, as well as good technique and distribution. He is also a very accurate tackler with strong positional sense and excels at anticipating his opponents.<\/P>","F8A44A36F46FF4E4":"Vincent Kompany","3653565C44D0522B57B14E876735C3FA":"Anderlecht","809C0B5A31626463":"498","07457F0B881B82B22AE30767A70DD3E1":"
CLUB<\/U><\/STRONG><\/P> Anderlecht Hamburger SV Manchester City<\/STRONG> INDIVIDUAL<\/U><\/STRONG><\/P> Belgian Golden Shoe: 2004
<\/STRONG>Belgian Pro League: 2003–04, 2005–06<\/P>
<\/STRONG>UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2007<\/P>
Premier League: 2011–12, 2013–14, 2017–18
FA Cup: 2010–11
Football League Cup\/EFL Cup: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18
FA Community Shield: 2012<\/P>
Belgian Ebony Shoe: 2004, 2005
Belgian Young Professional Footballer of the Year: 2004, 2005
Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year: 2005
Belgian Silver Shoe: 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
Manchester City Player of the Year: 2010–11
Manchester City Players' Player of the Year: 2010–11
ESM Team of the Year: 2011–12
FIFPro World XI 3rd team: 2013, 2014
FIFPro World XI 4th team: 2015
Alan Hardaker Trophy: 2016, 2018<\/P>","32F0494A6A8D9C00F8184D20C089D458":"1986-4-10","E630D11720E4B295":"1","B13BBD17F9E21D375893DBD6F2FC7F72":"4","e_index":0};