Captain Vincent Kompany departed the English champions Manchester City, after winning a historic domestic treble in the 2018/19 season - Premier League champions, English Football League (Carabao Cup) holders and FA Cup winners. Manchester City made history, by becoming the first English men's team to ever achieve a domestic treble – as well as the Community Shield too. The odds on that with a preseason bet would have been like hitting the lottery, especially if you grab a bonus from one of the bookies on mybettingbonus.co.uk.
Vincent Kompany, the Belgian defender, who moved from Hamburger SV to City in 2008, announced his farewell in an open letter on Facebook the day after City's 6-0 win against FC Watford in the FA Cup final. "I imagined this day countless times, and now it feels unreal," wrote Kompany.
Kompany: Forever a Legend to the City of Manchester
Before the testimonial match, a mosaic depicting the former captain was unveiled to Vincent, his family, MCFC board members by Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak. It has been creatively inspired by his goal celebration in the 2012 Manchester Derby, which led to City's first league title since 1968. The road connecting the Football Academy pitches to the training complex has also been renamed 'Vincent Kompany Crescent', where the mosaic now stands proud and tall. During the Testimonial match, it was announced that the construction of a Vincent Kompany statue will be placed in an important spot near Etihad Stadium. It will publicly commemorate everything Vincent Company achieved in his time at Manchester City FC. Club president Khaldoon Al Mubarak said: "Vincent is a special figure in the history of Manchester City. He was not only a leader and a resolute inspirer on the field, but also an impeccable ambassador for our society."
Kompany's experience at Manchester City lasted 11 seasons, from 2008 to 2019, and coincided with the richest time for the club. Appointed captain in 2011, the Belgian defender won four Premier League championships and League Cups, two Fa Cups and as many Community Shields. Despite the many injuries he has suffered in recent years, he achieved 360 appearances with 20 goals, before returning to Anderlecht - the club where he grew up - with the role of player-coach. His new career did not start very well, so he decided to no longer be player-coach. He passed this onto his deputy, Welshman Simon Davies, and has remained captain.
Happy and Touched by the Kompany Testimonial Match
On the 11th of September 2019, Vincent Kompany's Testimonial Match was played at Etihad Stadium between Manchester City FC Legends and Premier League All-Stars. It was a very emotional evening despite the absence of the Belgian defender himself, who was unable to take to the field due to an injury. This did not stop the Belgian Red Devil from being the beacon of a tribute evening, but also to raise funds for 'tackle4mcr', an initiative Kompany launched with Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, to help the homeless shelters of Manchester. In his final farewell to Manchester City, the former captain managed to bring together so many champions from the past and present, in a beautiful evening for vintage football lovers.
Welcomed on the field by a guard of honour, congratulated by three other legends of the club and cheered by the public in a packed stadium, 'Vince The Prince' spoke before the start of the meeting to thank those present; both players and spectators. "Thank you all, of course, I'm injured for my own Testimonial match, but it does not matter, I'll be there for David Silva's jubilee," he joked. "I'm still happy even if I'm not playing tonight, I have the opportunity to relive some memories, it's a very emotional day for me," he added, to the 61,000 spectators present. Kompany then left the game with the duel between 'Manchester City Legends' and 'Premier League All-Stars'.
It was a fantastic night that ended in a 2-2 draw. Robbie Keane and Robin Van Persie scored for the All-Stars Premier League while Martin Petrov and Benjani Mwaruwaria scored the goals of the Citizens. The City legends squad was managed by Pep Guardiola, had Joe Hart in goals and defended by the solid 2011/12 title-winning team plus Lescott, along with Zabaleta, Richards and Toure. The Premier League All-Stars squad was managed by Roberto Martinez, and Thierry Henry were star-studded with Van Der Sar, Given, Neville, Cole, Carragher, Scholes, Butt, Carrick, Giggs, Van Der Vaart, Arteta, Vieira, Keane, Van Persie, Cahill and Vassell.