Good Kompany

I went along to the Belgian team press conference this morning; as usual, a few players were available: this time, Axel Witsel, Marvin Ogunjimi and Vincent Kompany. I sat in while the local journalists fired questions at Kompany in both French and Dutch. He handled both with aplomb. That’s not that unusal; many Belgians speak both national languages. But Kompany would be equally relaxed in English and German. You get the impression he knows there is life beyond the football pitch. He even found time for a two-year university course despite being a first team regular at Anderlecht at the age of 17. 

Today he was asked if it meant a lot that he had been singled out by Georges Leekens as the one player certain to start. Kompany said not really as you’re only as good as your last match. That could change and he just had to keep working hard.

Asked if he preferred living in Brussels or Manchester, he said Brussels was the city where his heart was but Manchester was the place where his little girl was born – he couldn’t choose. I think the guy is impressive with a capital I.

Ahead of the game with Turkey tomorrow, I thought I would post an interview i did with him five years ago when he was at Anderlecht. He was the Romelu Lukaku of his day – but probably a tad more ready for pastures new. 

Vincent Kompany – 2005 interview, Brussels

Anderlecht’s Vincent Kompany faces Chelsea on Wednesday night in the Champions league. He’s just 19 and his market value is 20 million euros. John Chapman meets a young man who’s going places. 

Last season, Vincent Kompany was elected Belgium’s Footballer of the Year (“le Soulier d’Or / Gouden Schoe”), Players’ Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and even Black Player of the Year (“Le Soulier d’Ebene”). Some students created the last-named award, unhappy that black players were constantly being ignored when it came to handing out Belgium’s top football honours. That took some time to change, but Kompany is the second black player to take the top award in two years.

Kompany is impressive. It’s not just his 1 metre 90 and his model’s good looks. Considering all Europe’s major clubs are said to be watching him, he’s got his feet firmly on the ground. Even more remarkably, he’s continuing his studies and has embarked on a two-year University course in Business Studies (“ingenieur economique”). Kompany is planning to get the hard work out of the way this year. As he says, “In that way, I’ll be ready to play in another league if the chance comes.”

That may sound presumptuous for a 19-year old from the wrong side of the tracks, Kompany has only recently moved out of the “Quartier Nord”, and he has been accused of being a “dikkenek” in the past. That’s certainly not how he comes across. He’s friendly and courteous and he’s happy to talk at length about any subject.

Another young player on the international scene, Wayne Rooney, left the classroom long ago. So why is Kompany continuing with his studies? It’s simple. He feels that playing and studying give you a better perspective. He adds, “If you have to study the day after you’ve had a bad game, you soon feel as if the match was a week ago.”

It’s looking increasingly likely that he’ll leave Anderlecht at the end of the season. Most observers say he’s ready for a new challenge and his club, the biggest in Belgium, is hoping to cash in their brightest property for at least € 20 million. As their annual budget is € 18 million, the temptation is obvious. So is he ready to leave?

“I’ve no plans. Clubs have shown interest but who know if they will come back. I just have to keep playing at a certain level. I didn’t feel ready to move before but I do now I’ve finished High School.” He almost left in the summer. FC Seville called Anderlecht several times just a few hours before the transfer deadline (on August 31). They offered €18 million but Anderlecht refused the bid outright.

As for where he would prefer to go, Kompany doesn’t think he has the right mentality to play in Italy’s Serie A. Some people are trying to point him towards Spain, where Barcelona are rumoured to be interested. But Kompany is favouring the UK’s Premiership, “I’ve friends playing in England, so I’m more attracted to that country at the moment.”

Yves Ma-Kalambay, currently on Chelsea’s books, is Kompany’s best friend and they call each other regularly. Kompany played with Ma-Kalambay and Floribert Ngalula, now with Manchester United, in the various Anderlecht youth teams and they all have links with the Congo. That’s true of many of his friends who still live in the Quartier Nord and he dedicated his “Soulier d’Or to them on the televised awards show. 

He went back to the Quartier Nord with his “Soulier d’or” last February. He’s unlikely to forget his roots. “You can succeed very quickly in this game and go back just as fast.” He has a constant reminder of that in his own family as his sister held the Belgian record for the triple jump in her age category before a knee injury ended her career before it had begun.

Kompany’s father is from Kinshasa and his mother was born in the Ardennes. He puts down a lot of his success to them. “They made me concentrate on both sports and my homework. It was hard and I enjoy studying more now that I know I’m not being made to do it.”

Kompany has just returned to the Anderlecht team after a back injury and if he plays against Chelsea, it will be the first time he has faced an English club. Will it be the most important game of his career? Kompany laughs. “People ask that before almost every game I play. But I’ve already played two seasons in the Champions League and for the national team against France, Germany and the Netherlands.”

But he’s ready for Chelsea. “I’d like to play this type of match every week, that’s why I play football.” And will he be playing in order to get a good transfer? “No way! But whether I play well because I love the game or because I want a transfer to a bigger club, the end result is the same. And I’m not insisting on leaving. If I stay at Anderlecht, I will never be a poor footballer. I know that.”

With that, Kompany heads for the changing room. As usual, he’s the centre of attraction but this is one teenager who knows exactly where he’s going.