Vincent Kompany, 34, has ended his career as a football player and will now be the coach of RSC Anderlecht, where he replaces Franky Vercauteren, several media reported on Monday morning.
Trained at Anderlecht, where he started his career in 2003, Kompany left the club for Hamburg in 2006.
Two years later, he moved to Manchester City, which he left in 2019 to return to Anderlecht, where he served as both a player and a manager.
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"I'm starting a new chapter. It was the moment for me,” said Kompany in a video spread by Anderlecht. He spoke of “a liberation. I have no regrets. Nothing. Just pure ambition, appetite and enthusiasm."
Vincent devient l'entraîneur principal du RSC Anderlecht. En dat voor de volgende 4 seizoenen. Il arrête sa carrière de joueur et prend le relais de Franky. ?⚪ pic.twitter.com/n0ALn0udJl
— RSC Anderlecht (@rscanderlecht) August 17, 2020
"I flipped a switch because I know I have to be clear,” he said. “I think this is where I will contribute the most. Every week, in good and in bad times.”
Reactions have poured in on Twitter, with the Belgian Red Devils tweeting that he's a "Pioneer! Thanks for everything, skipper," and Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku saying he "paved the way for so many of us! I’ll miss you brother." His former club, Manchester City, tweeted: "There won't be another like him!"
Jason Spinks
The Brussels Times