(Bild) - Almost no club had an option for him - and now he's one of the biggest. After shining against Real Madrid and reaching the Champions League semi-finals, where they will face PSG, coach Vincent Kompany joins Bayern's legendary coaching ranks.
The Belgian is the eleventh coach to lead the German champions to the Champions League so far.
Jupp Heynckes, Pep Guardiola, Louis van Gaal and now Kompany. One thing is certain - a large part of the success is thanks to him.
At the start of the job, it didn't look like this success story would develop. Kompany joined Bayern in July 2024. There were doubts about his appointment. He was a last-minute solution after a series of rejections for Thomas Tuchel's successor.
The current England coach was left without a trophy in the 2023/2024 season after Bayern's eleven consecutive league titles.
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Kompany's name made headlines in the English press.
"Vincent Kompany will become Bayern coach, despite Burnley's relegation from the league with just 24 points," wrote the Daily Mail.
"Eurosport commented that it was 'as if Liverpool were trying to lure Timo Schultz'."
Pundit Gary Lineker also had serious doubts.
"Kompany is definitely a risk because he doesn't really have experience. You won't have Pep Guardiola here. He hasn't reached the end of his development yet. He was a manager in Belgium first and then Burnley," Lineker said at the time.
Hoeness: We were skeptical at first
Uli Hoeness recently admitted again to "Kicker" that "at first we were skeptical, he was the fourth or fifth person we spoke to."
In the end, sporting director Max Eberl had convinced the powerful supervisory board of his idea to bring in a still inexperienced coach for a transfer fee of 10.5 million euros from relegated team Burnley.
"When we called Pep Guardiola before signing Vincent and asked him what he thought of him, he said we could sign him without even seeing him," Hoeness recalls.
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Bayern making rapid strides in Bundesliga and Europe
Twenty-two months later, Bayern are tearing up the Bundesliga and Europe with 157 goals in 46 games. But what makes Kompany special? Bayern are pleased that he has brought a remarkable sense of calm both inside and out - unlike Tuchel or Nagelsmann, who publicly demanded transfers or raised issues in press conferences.
Inside, he has brought the group together. Kompany has restored the club's confidence and the famous "Mia san mia" spirit. He has made his team play the kind of football that excites everyone. The fans are eager to go to the stadium again.
President Herbert Hainer called this a "move of fate" for Bayern.
Chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen praised Kompany after the win against Real.
There is a good atmosphere in the dressing room – not least because Kompany can show empathy with the players, for example by always giving them the day off after a match. But Kompany can also be tough and stick to his decisions. For example, Leon Goretzka was rarely in the starting line-up for an important match. However, after Bayern's spectacular win over Real Madrid, the two hugged.
A fiery speech against racism
Another highlight of Kompany's speech was his powerful speech against racism following an incident involving Vinicius Junior in the Champions League match between Benfica and Real Madrid. His words were deeply moving.
Bild editor Walter M. Straten said of Kompany in September that he is on the right track to becoming a great Bayern coach.
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"Of course, to do that, you have to get through the quarter-finals of the Champions League."
And Kompany has succeeded.
