As Guardiola’s future at City remains uncertain, the club’s former captain may have just pulled ahead of the other candidates
Few coaches could have managed what Pep Guardiola has achieved at Manchester City. Backed by an owner that didn’t hesitate to splash out enormous sums to put together a star-studded squad, the 55-year-old tactician has turned City into a dominant force both in the Premier League and the Champions League.
Guardiola has indicated on various occasions that the Manchester City job may well be his last before retiring “to focus on myself”. Having spent as many as 10 seasons in charge of the team, the closing stages of recent campaigns have reignited talk of his potential successor when he eventually steps down.
Numerous names have been thrown into the mix, with Xabi Alonso, Enzo Maresca, Luis Enrique and Andoni Iraola having entered the frame over the last few seasons. Yet, there might be no better candidate than a club legend – a man who was present every step of the way as Man City ascended to the summit of English football.
Having joined the Sky Blues in August 2008 for a fee of just £6million, Vincent Kompany went on to gradually establish himself as one of the finest defenders in European football. His stature grew in tandem with the club’s rise before parting ways with the club in style back in 2019, bidding farewell to the fans after Manchester City won an unprecedented domestic treble.
“He defines the essence of the club,” Man City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak said at the time. “For a decade he has been the lifeblood, the soul, and beating heart of a supremely talented squad. A booming voice in the dressing room yet a quiet and measured ambassador off it, Vincent can be as proud of himself as we are of him.”
Having won 12 titles for a club who had won only as many trophies before his arrival, the former Manchester City captain established himself as a legend and a fan favourite.
One of his most prominent admirers is none other than Guardiola himself, with the Catalan coach having hailed the personality of his former player on various occasions.
“Vincent helped this club achieve so much before I came and when I arrived here, we tried to do it together along with all the other people to try and maintain that position and create new history,” Guardiola said back in 2019.
“We will miss him. I will miss him a lot. Of course, I wish him the very best in the next stage of his life, but he is an incredible part of this football club and will remain so forever.”
The ideal heir to the throne
Yet this may not have been a farewell, but rather a “see you later”. Having opted for a career in coaching, Kompany moved back to his native Belgium, where he took charge of his boyhood team Anderlecht, where he had kicked off his footballing career at the age of 17.
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He returned to England to coach Burnley, whom he led to Premier League promotion with seven games to spare with a record-breaking tally of 101 points. His highly-anticipated return to the top flight was not fruitful, as Burnley finished 19th in the table with a club record low tally of 24 points.
Having faced a wave of criticism following a below-par campaign in the English top flight, several eyebrows were instantly raised when Bayern Munich decided to appoint Kompany in May 2024. Few knew at that point that Guardiola was the one to pave the way for his former player.
“[Bayern Munich sporting director] Max Eberl asked me to speak to [Guardiola] because I am very close friends with Pep,” Bayern legend Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told kicker.
“I told Pep that I needed an analysis that was authentic and honest. We then spoke on the phone for almost two hours.
“To cut a long story short, he said he was one hundred percent convinced that Vincent Kompany was absolutely the right coach for Bayern. So I thought: if Guardiola gives him such an endorsement, everything will be fine.”
Having lost just two of their 34 Bundesliga games, Kompany’s Bayern were crowned league champions in his debut season at the club. The German powerhouse went on to kick off the 2025/26 campaign with 16 straight victories across all competitions, establishing themselves at the top of the table and securing a spot in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Having scored 100 goals in just 28 Bundesliga games, his Bayern are on course to break the record for most league goals in a single term, set by the Bavarians in 1971/72 (101). With Harry Kane shining upfront and the likes of Serge Gnabry, Luis Díaz and Michael Olise causing havoc to opposition defences, Bayern Munich have put themselves in pole position to win both the domestic league and the Champions League.
Sitting nine points above Borussia Dortmund with six games to go, Kompany’s side have just pulled off a solid outing in a statement victory away at Real Madrid in Europe’s major competition. On the very same ground where Guardiola’s Manchester City were crushed 3-0 by Los Blancos, Bayern Munich looked comfortable on the pitch, imposed their game on the Spanish side and took an important step towards sealing a spot in the semi-finals.
In his 100th game as head coach of the club, Kompany showcased his credentials in front of a crowd that has celebrated a record 15 Champions League titles. More importantly, he may have just pulled ahead of the other candidates, positioning himself as the frontrunner to become Guardiola’s heir at the Sky Blues. And as the Catalan tactician declared a few years ago, it almost looks inevitable.
“I think his destiny to be the manager of Manchester City is already written in the stars,” Guardiola said in 2023. “It’s going to happen, I don’t know when but it is going to happen. Sooner or later he will be the manager of Manchester City, when, I don’t know.
“But I am pretty sure. It is my feeling, maybe I am wrong. He has the attributes: work ethic, knowledge of the game, well respected, experienced. He knows the club, the environment, the fans, what our people need. The destiny is there.”
