Legendary former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has been appointed full time Anderlecht manager, with his playing career coming to an end.
Kompany left City at the end of the 2018/19 season following a trophy-laden 11-year spell where he led the Blues from the early days of the Abu Dhabi takeover to domestic dominance and regulars in the Champions League.
He returned to former club Anderlecht as player-manager, but his first season of coaching got off to a rocky start as he was relieved of his matchday coaching duties after just four games.
Former City coach Simon Davies took charge of those responsibilities until October, when Frank Vercauteren was appointed head coach alongside Kompany.
In the end, Kompany only played 18 times for Anderlecht last season, scoring once. He ends his career having played 531 games with 32 goals and 21 assists. For Belgium, he amassed 89 appearances, scoring four times. He won 14 major trophies, with 12 coming at City.
Now, with Vercauteren leaving Anderlecht, Kompany has been appointed solo head coach, agreeing a four year deal in his new role.
He said : “I want to fully commit to my role as a coach and need 100% of my time and focus for it. 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 for all his help.”
Anderlecht CEO 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."
