WeeklySA_AdminWINNING MENTALITY: FC Bayern München coach reveals why he is relishing ‘unique’ FIFA Club World Cup tournament which will be held in the USA in June
By Sports Reporter
Vincent Kompany knows what makes a winning team. As a player, he was an integral part of the side which ushered in Manchester City’s trophy-laden modern-day era. His extensive list of honours includes four Premier League triumphs, and his inspirational captaincy helped shape an environment which became synonymous with success.
Kompany has brought his insatiable appetite for silverware to FC Bayern München, where he was appointed coach in May 2024.
Given the club’s rich history of fighting for – and winning – the biggest titles, it appears an excellent fit. In his maiden season in charge, he has led the club to the top of the Bundesliga standings and into the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
In June he will take Bayern to the ground-breaking FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ – a competition Kompany describes as “special” and “unique”. The Bavarian giants, who have been drawn with CA Boca Juniors, SL Benfica and Auckland City FC in Group C, will be among the favourites for the tournament, which will see 32 sides battle it out to be crowned the greatest club team on the planet.
Kompany explained how his recent experience of performing in an elite environment – he only called time on his playing career in 2020 – has allowed him to swiftly transition to coaching a squad with designs on the game’s most illustrious prizes.
“I can identify with a lot with the players I see here,” he told FIFA. “There is not a big difference with the dressing rooms I knew at Manchester City. It’s definitely an advantage. I know what motivates them. I understand what their ambitions are, what their simple concerns are.
“Sometimes, it’s not always about the big things, but the small things they’re going through that maybe the outside world doesn’t want to understand. I’ve been there, I’ve been in these types of dressing rooms and I’m lucky to have a very good group of players who enjoy spending their time together. I also understand how important it is to protect that dynamic.”
Kompany’s mentality was forged during his formative years at Anderlecht, the Belgian club where he would go on to lift two league championships.
“I’ve always been involved in football in high demanding places,” he said. “With Anderlecht, in the 1980s and 1990s, we were amongst the best youth teams in Europe.
We would beat any big European team. We always had that pressure from the age of six years old: of winning, playing well, behaving a certain way. So, by the time I arrived at top level football, that was already a big part of me.
“It continued at Manchester City, of course, where we had the highest ambitions as well. To then become the coach of Bayern, it was actually something very familiar for me. I didn’t enter an environment I didn’t understand, I entered an environment I grew up in.”
While Bayern had an extremely rare trophyless season in 2023/24, the majority of Kompany’s squad have won a wealth of medals. Indeed, before Bayer Leverkusen’s Bundesliga success last term, Bayern had won the division 11 times on the spin.
When asked how he continues to motivate players who have achieved so much, Kompany’s answer was reflective of a man whose core values are non-negotiable.
“Be hungry or go somewhere else,” Kompany replied. “It’s very simple.”
