Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has retired as a player to become manager of Anderlecht on a four-year deal.
The four-time Premier League champion joined the Belgian side in a player-manager role in May 2019 and moved into a new position as co-manager to Franky Vercauteren, but has now announced his retirement as a player.
Kompany, 34, left City at the end of the 2018/19 season after making 360 appearances across all competitions in order to return to his boyhood club.
Arriving from Hamburg in 2008 for a fee of around £6m, Kompany went on to win four top-flight titles as well as two FA Cups, four League Cups and two Community Shields in 11 years – becoming a City legend in the process.
“I want to fully commit to my role as a coach and need 100 per cent of my time and focus for it,” Kompany told the Anderlecht club website. “That’s why I’m quitting as a football player. Our ambition and our hunger remains the same.
“I want to stay with the club for at least four seasons and prove that Anderlecht can play a modern style of football, with results. I want to thank Franky (co-manager Frank Vercauteren) for all his help.”
Anderlecht chief executive Karel Van Eetvelt added:
“As everybody knows, this was always the plan.
“It might have come a little sooner than expected, but Vincent committing himself for another four seasons to the club is great news for the club, our supporters and our players.”
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