Manchester City’s legend Vincent Kompany announces retirement

LONDON: Manchester City’s legend Vincent Kompany today (Monday) has announced his retirement from professional football and will take over as the manager of Belgian club Anderlecht.

The four-time Premier League champion joined the Belgian side in a player-manager role in May 2019 and moved into a new position as co-manager to Franky Vercauteren, but has now announced his retirement as a player.

Kompany, 34, left Manchester City at the end of the 2018/19 season after making 360 appearances across all competitions in order to return to his boyhood club.

“I want to fully commit to my role as a coach and need 100 percent of my time and focus for it,” Kompany told the Anderlecht club website. “That’s why I’m quitting as a football player,” he added.

He further said, “I want to stay with the club for at least four seasons and prove that Anderlecht can play a modern style of football, with results. I want to thank Franky (co-manager Frank Vercauteren) for all his help.”

Kompany has also won two FA Cups and four League Cups with the Citizens and was regarded as one of the club’s greatest ever players. He represented Belgium in 89 fixtures and was the skipper of the side in the 2018 World Cup.