IN one of the biggest coaching promotions in the history of football, Vincent Kompany has been appointed as the new manager of Bayern Munich.
The appointment comes less than two weeks after the Belgian was relegated from the English Premier League with Burnley.
“FC Bayern has signed Vincent Kompany as its new coach. The 38-year-old Belgian signed with the German record champions until June 30, 2027. He most recently worked for the English Premier League club FC Burnley,” the most successful club in German history announced today on their official website.
Bayern Munich apparently settled for Kompany after they were rejected by several higher-profile coaches, including Thomas Tuchel, who they tried to persuade to stay after initially announcing his sacking.
“We all at the club agree that Vincent Kompany is the right coach for FC Bayern and are very much looking forward to working with him,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said.
Kompany, who began his coaching career as coach/player at Anderlecht after enjoying huge success at Manchester City, said he was eager to prove Bayern Munich were right to give him this big opportunity.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge of FC Bayern. It’s a great honour to be able to work for this club – FC Bayern is an institution in international football,” the former Belgium captain said.
“As a coach, you have to stand for who you are as a person: I love having the ball, being creative – and we also have to be aggressive on the pitch and courageous. I’m now looking forward to the most basic things: working with the players, building a team. When the foundation is in place, success will follow.”
Burnley paid tribute to Kompany, who had helped them gain promotion to the Premier League two seasons ago, acknowledging he was making a big step-up.
“We can confirm that Burnley FC has come to an agreement that will allow Vincent Kompany to leave Turf Moor,” the English club stated.
“Whilst we were initially confident in retaining our manager, the changing dynamics of the situation made this impossible.
“We understand the allure and prestige of a club like Bayern Munich and respect Vincent’s ambition to explore new opportunities.
“We wish only the best for Vincent and would like to put on record our appreciation for his dedication every single day he was a part of this football club.
“Our priority remains the stability and success of Burnley FC, and we will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure that our ambition is realised – namely our return to the Premier League.
“We have started the search for a new manager and will make an announcement in due course.”
