Vincent Komany makes Bayern Munich promise as ex-Man City skipper confirmed as new manager

Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has been confirmed as the new Bayern Munich manager.

The Belgian, who made 360 appearances in sky blue, replaces Thomas Tuchel and has signed a three contract with the Bavarian club. The news was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon after weeks of speculation surrounding the role, with several high-profile names dropping out.

The decision is something of a surprise given Kompany has never managed a top European side before and led Burnley to relegation this season, but former CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge revealed Pep Guardiola’s recommendation played a part in Bayern’s decision.

Sporting director Christoph Freund described Kompany as a manager who has ‘his finger on the pulse of the players and knows exactly what should happen on the pitch’, while fellow director Max Eberl said he wants the 38-year-old to remain in the position long term after a number of managerial alterations in recent years. “We would like to see more continuity in this position. “Together with him, we want to achieve a lot at FC Bayern - and of course be successful together,” he told Bayern’s website.

As for Kompany, he vowed to bring success back to the club after Bayern allowed their hold on the Bundlesliga title to slip away this season. “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,” he 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."

Meanwhile, Burnley released a statement via social media thanking Kompany for his time at Turf Moor and said they understood the opportunity was too good to pass up.

“We can confirm that Burnley FC has come to an agreement that will allow Vincent Kompany to leave Turf Moor,” the club said via a statement. “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.”

Kompany captained City to four league titles during his time at the Etihad - including their first in 2012 - and was honoured with a statue outside the ground in 2021. He left the Blues two years before and rejoined Anderlecht, where he quickly was appointed as player-manager.