Kompany: The Final Manchester City Goodbye
By David Crook
Tonight Manchester City fans get the chance to give Vincent Kompany his final send off.
When Kompany called time on his Manchester City career at the end of last season to start a new chapter as player manager at RS Anderlecht, he did so after the FA Cup final via a face book message and a well timed microphone drop at the parade. But the City fans were denied the chance of really celebrating the journey of our Captain Kompany.
The announcement of a testimonial game at the Etihad Stadium for Kompany where a team of City All Stars would take on a team of Premier League greats was tantalising enough, but the fact the proceeds were all going to charity added the icing to the top of the proverbial cake.
For you see what it was doing was cementing what we already knew to be true. Not only was Kompany an inspiring figure in the dressing room but he had the local community at his heart. Having married into a local family and living in the City for over 10 years, he was part of us all.
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On the pitch Kompany has been one of those constants in our resurgence since the takeover 11 years ago. Of course he was actually here just before – bought as a defensive midfielder under Mark Hughes, but he came of age just at the very moment our whole club did.
His performances drove us onwards. Initially turning that tide with FA Cup glory, before League titles came and went. Cup triumphs and domestic domination have followed. It has been his words echoing in the tunnel and across the pitches in the Premier League. His voice imploring the team to do better in the dressing rooms and exercising his duty as Captain.
The thing with footballers is we all know the kind of Captain we need. We all know what qualities and abilities that kind of player will need to have. The remarkable thing is we have had exactly that for City for a decade.
Some players come and go and leave limited imprint upon us as fans. Kompany is different and his leaving will be different too. To leave a big club at the top of your game and choose the moment of your departure is afforded to few players.
Tonight we have the chance to celebrate Kompany, the best Captain we could have had and to raise some money for charity. It is also an opportunity to thank some of those other players who have left along the way, and maybe even cast others as pantomime villains.
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The important thing to remember though, long after the final whistle has gone, is that Kompany will always be our Captain. We wish him everything for the future.