Vincent Kompany remains ‘proud’ of Man City achievements during 11 years at club

Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany waves to fans during the trophy parade in Manchester.

Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany said he remains “proud” of his achievements with the club despite them being found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules.

Kompany spent more than a decade with City between 2008 and 2019, lifting the Premier League trophy four times, also winning the FA Cup twice and the League Cup four times.

An independent commission has found that City broke financial rules across nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18, a period which covers three of the Premier League titles Kompany won with City.

The Bayern Munich head coach said: “I played 11 years for the club. I’ve loved all of the years I played for the club and everything we achieved and done on the pitch, that’s something I’m really proud of.

“Everything else, as a player you’re not a part of that and right now as a coach of Bayern Munich I’m not too much occupied with that topic as I’m preparing the game next week and preparing the game we have tomorrow and everything I have as a coach.”

City’s guilty verdict was announced during the international break, with the club subsequently lodging an appeal.

An independent commission concluded more than £830million of owner funding was used to inflate revenues and enable City to comply with Premier League and UEFA regulations through a series of “sham” arrangements.

City said the commission’s judgment contained “clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe” and that there was “a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” to support their position.

Speculation has been rife over the sanctions City might face, which could include stripping them of titles that Kompany and his former team-mates won.

Kompany signed for City from Hamburg in August 2008, weeks before Sheikh Mansour completed a takeover which radically reshaped the club over the coming years.

After they won the FA Cup in 2011 to end a 35-year wait for a major trophy, Kompany was given the captain’s armband the following season, which ended with City being crowned Premier League champions after Sergio Aguero’s dramatic stoppage-time winner over QPR on the final day.

Kompany, 40, has retained strong ties with Manchester, having married a local woman and welcomed three children during his time in the city.

Since moving into management, he has often been regarded as a future City boss.

The Belgian was manager of Burnley when the charges against City were first announced in February 2023, and said at the time: “I think all of you will have a little bit of a smile on your face to know what the football industry is about. I’m very sceptical when people start pointing fingers.”