Kompany: Foreign cash will bring England glory
The City and Belgium captain also declared that more English players must follow the example of Spurs defender Eric Dier and start playing abroad from an early age. But Kompany had words of comfort for England fans whose path to qualification to Euro 2016 was eased with an impressive 2-0 defeat of Switzerland in Basle in England’s first competitive match since their disappointing World Cup campaign.
“People talk about the high quality infrastructure that exists in England, but it’s only a short time that it has been in place. You need to wait... England will play in a World Cup final in one of the next four tournaments for the simple reason no other country has such resources to invest in its infrastructure. The wealth of foreign owners is an asset,” Kompany said.
“The English have rested on their laurels a little bit, because they had been successful for so long. And then they had a wake-up call in the last World Cup, and all of a sudden, it makes you progress 10 years: it kick-starts a healing cycle. It was a helpful slap, which will help English players reach another level. You can see it already in the young kids, who play differently to how it was 10 years ago. Go and watch kids aged 10-12 play. They play another football. The game is different, the philosophy is different. This is something that stands out, for foreigners like me. If you look at what happens at the City Academy, the most important thing for them to ensure that the kids do not get lost, and focus on their development. You will see... It’s a matter of time.”
Kompany said that moving abroad early in his career — he left Anderlecht for Hamburg at 20 — was the perfect start for him. “I began at Anderlecht and I played the Champions League at the age of 17, and I went elsewhere at 20. That made the difference for players like me, Eden Hazard, Jan Vertonghen, Moussa Dembele, all my international team-mates. We started at small clubs. When you think of what needs to change in England, it’s more in terms of mindset.
“English players need to take the chance, when they are younger, to have an experience abroad or in leagues where it is easier to play, which are less demanding physically or in terms of results. Simple as that.”
He added that City, whose new €250m training centre has a school for the club’s 200 apprentices, is a perfect example of sending players out on loan to further their development. “Nothing would make me happier than to see kids from Manchester, who have supported the club since they were six, as was the case for me at Anderlecht, be trained and play for City. But you must accept intermediate steps. Nothing is handed to you on a plate. It’s the most competitive league in the world. Like it or not, money from abroad was pumped into English football to develop clubs, the league and make everyone improve. You must meet the challenge. The only problem is that state of mind. If you offer an English kid aged 17 the choice of playing in League One or for a Dutch first division side, nine times out of 10, he’ll say League One. It’s another kind of springboard. We must open our minds.”
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