29th May, 2024
FC Bayern have confirmed Vincent Kompany as their new head coach.
The 38-year-old has agreed a contract with the German record champions through to 30 June 2027. The former Belgium international most recently managed English Premier League club FC Burnley.
FC Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said “All of us at the club agree that Vincent Kompany is the right coach for FC Bayern and we are very much looking forward to working with him. Max Eberl and Christoph Freund have worked tirelessly and meticulously to find a coach who will lead FC Bayern to success and continue to develop the club with new ideas. Vincent Kompany represents exactly the togetherness and team spirit that we need.”
FC Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl said the club is delighted to have brought in Kompany to FC Bayern, saying the club is immediately on the same page in discussions with him.
“He clearly showed us how much the job at FC Bayern appeals to him and that he is keen to take it on. Vincent Kompany is hungry and brings everything to the table: as a player, he was already a leading figure in top international football and is also leading the way as a coach.
“We would like to see more continuity in this position again. Together with him, we want to accomplish a lot at FC Bayern – and of course be successful together,” he said.
FC Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund said Kompany is the type of coach who fits in very well with FC Bayern’s playing philosophy and identity.
“His teams want the ball, and want to play dominant and high-intensity football. He’s a young, very ambitious coach with a lot of international experience. He has his finger on the pulse when it comes to the players and knows exactly what needs to happen on the pitch. He can and will give our team an enormous amount,” he stated.
The new head coach Kompany said “I’m looking forward to the challenge of FC Bayern. It’s a great honour to be able to work for this club – FC Bayern is an institution in international football.
“As a coach, you have to stand for what you are as a character: I love having the ball, being creative – but we also have to be aggressive and courageous on the pitch. I’m now looking forward to the basics: working with the players, building a team. Once the basis is right, success will follow.”
Kompany took his first steps as a player in professional football in 2003/04 at his home club Anderlecht, with whom the defensive specialist won the Belgian championship in 2004 and 2006.
After two seasons at Hamburg, he moved to Manchester City for the 2008/09 season, where he spent 11 years before returning to Anderlecht in the twilight of his career.
With the Citizens, he won the English Premier League and the EFL Cup four times and the FA Cup and Community Shield twice. In 2022, the long-serving Man City captain was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Kompany made 89 appearances for the Belgian national team, scoring four goals, and was called up for both the 2014 and 2018 World Cups. Belgium finished third at the 2018 tournament.
Kompany left Manchester to take on the role of player-manager at Anderlecht, before ending his playing career in 2020.
He returned to England for a second time to take over the reins at Burnley for the 2022/23 season, and he guided the Clarets to promotion to the Premier League in his very first campaign. After one season in the top flight, Burnley were relegated back to the Championship this summer.
