Vincent Kompany is perhaps the only professional footballer in the world to have earned an MBA while playing at the highest level of football.
The Belgium international skipper, who also captains his club Manchester City, has been described as erudite and eloquent unlike his footballing peers. It’s no surprise, then, that in his first year as club captain, Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions for the first time in 44 years.
the biography
Vincent Kompany was born Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany on 10 th April 1986 in Uccle, Brussels, Belgium, to Pierre and Jocelyne Fraselle Kompany. His father, Pierre, is a Congolese immigrant in Belgium who currently works as his son’s agent while his mother, Jocelyne, worked as an employment agent before her death.
Kompany and her siblings; elder sister Christelet and younger brother François all grew up in Brussels. Coming from a low-income family, Kompany’s father made sure to invest in his child’s football skills so he could have a better life as an adult.
As a schoolboy, Kompany was already receiving the attention of the big Belgian clubs who desired him in their youth. However, he was racially abused because he was the child of an immigrant. The abuse, in turn, led to him building a reputation as violent as he would fight and beat any other child who racially abused him. One of these outbursts caused him to lose his place in the Belgian youth team.
Professional football career
Vincent Kompany started his professional career at Belgian Premier League, Anderlecht at the age of 17. With Anderlecht, Kompany received the Belgian Golden Shoe and the Belgian Ebony Shoe. The former is an award given to the best footballer in the Belgian First Division at the start of each calendar year, while the latter is also an annual award given to the best African player or player of African descent in the Belgian Pro League.
Despite interest from all over Europe, Kompany stayed in Belgium for three years to complete its development. In 2006, he joined German Bundesliga club Hamburg for a fee of €10 million. In Germany, Kompany struggled to break into the first team. It also didn’t help that he suffered a number of long-lasting injuries.
After two years in Hamburg, Kompany moved to Manchester City for an undisclosed fee. In his early days for the club, he was deployed as a midfielder before he could rise to prominence as a strong centre-back with excellent aerial ability and mobility.
During the 2010–11 season, Kompany’s performances did not go unnoticed as he was named the supporters’ player of the year and the club’s player of the year. He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year. The same year, he won the FA Cup, his first trophy with the club and the club’s first major honor in 35 years. The club also qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time.
The following season Kompany was named club captain and he guided his side to their first Premier League title since 1968. He played for the Citizens more than 300 times, scoring 19 goals and winning eight trophies, including the Premier League at three times.
Vincent Kompany’s Family – wife, son
Vincent Kompany is married to Carla Higgs. Higgs, who has always supported Manchester City, met the future City captain while playing for Hamburg. The pair began dating shortly after meeting before tying the knot in an unceremonious ceremony at Castle Ashby, Northamptonshire on April 11. th of June 2011.
Carla and Vincent have two children together. his daughter Sienna was born on June 10, 2010 and his son Kai was born in October 2013.
Personal achievements and interests outside football
In 2018, Vincent Kompany graduated from Manchester Business School with an MBA. He is president of the Belgian division club D3B BX Brussels, created in 2013 to help underprivileged children use sport to get out of poverty.
Kompany is also an official FIFA ambassador for SOS Children and helps people in his father’s homeland.
Height, weight, measurements and other facts
Birth name: Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany
Date of birth: April 10, 1986
Place of birth: Uccle, Brussels, Belgium
Height: 6 feet 4 inches (195 cm)
Weight: 85kg
Biceps: 16 inches (41 cm)
Chest: 46 inches (117 cm)
Occupation: Footballer
Zodiac sign: Aries