THey, I say you have to see the world through a child’s eyes. This was quite the challenge for Vincent Kompagny, who answered curious questions at a children’s press conference.
But when he revealed who his toughest opponent was during his time at Manchester City, one of his answers stole the show. Spoiler: It wasn’t Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Kompany named biggest rival
Before taking over as Bayern Munich manager, Kompany made 621 appearances (from 2003 to 2020) as captain of Manchester City and the Belgian national team.
But he is currently coaching Harry Kane and co, one of his responsibilities, albeit a very special one, and spoke to the press.
Vincent was quizzed by children from the Bayern fan club about his favorite food (steak and potato chips), his favorite color (blue), and whether he ever threw a ball into his neighbor’s garden as a child (of course he did).
But when ‘Finn’ was asked about the strongest opponent he had ever faced, one of the questions reminded him of his career as a defender. Far from the answers fans would expect, such as Messi at Barcelona and Argentina, or CR7 at Real Madrid and Manchester United, Kompany chose the Argentina international’s former teammate at Rose.
“There were many, but there was one that impressed me more than all the others. That was Ronaldinho. Do you know him?” Vincent asked the children. He went on to mention Leo and Cristiano, concluding: “Of course, Messi and Ronaldo are incredibly good and they are probably the best players, but from what I saw in one match, it was Ronaldinho.”
Kompany is one of a number of players who played against both superstars at club level for Manchester City and the Belgian national team. For Messi, the Champions League match between Manchester City and Barcelona and the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals, where Argentina defeated Belgium 1-0, stand out. Meanwhile, he and Cristiano Ronaldo maintained a constant rivalry in the Premier League, during the Portuguese player’s first spell at Manchester United, as well as in the matches against Real Madrid in Europe. However, his chosen opponent was Ronaldinho.
Kompany also highlighted some of the best coaches he has ever worked with, and while it was almost impossible not to mention Josep Guardiola given his 11 years at the Etihad Stadium, he also mentioned others.
“The best manager I’ve ever had is, of course, Pep Guardiola. He opened my eyes to football. I don’t try to do things the same way as Pep. Pep is different. He was the best.” “Mancini and Huub Stevens were also good examples. You learn things from every coach to write your own story,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bayern lead the Bundesliga with 57 points and will face Frankfurt (7th place with 31 points) at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, February 21st.
