It’s safe to say that Vincent Kompany has exceeded expectations at Bayern Munich after taking over for Julin Nagelsmann following managerial tenures at RSC Anderlecht in Belgium and Burnley in England. At the time of his appointment, there were questions looming as to whether or not he had enough experience to sit in the hot seat for the German Rekordmeister, but he’s now coming off of back-to-back Bundesliga titles and a DFB-Pokal title, having come close to the Champions League final this past season, falling in the semi-finals to winner Paris Saint-Germain.
The mood in and amongst the squad at Bayern under Kompany’s leadership is noticeably positive. There’s harmony in the squad, he’s getting the best out of the majority of his players, and there’s a togetherness in the team that’s evident both on and off the pitch. The brand of football the Belgian has Bayern playing has brought excitement to even the toughest of critics like honorary FC Bayern president Uli Hoeneß, who described being genuinely excited to see the team play last season, noting the clear joy the team expresses on the pitch
Maxime Estève, who’s just signed for RB Leipzig from Burnley for roughly 25 million euros, shares the widely felt sentiment of Kompany being a top-class manager and noticeably successful at Bayern. The Frenchmen spent a few months playing under Kompany when he was Burnley manager after the 24-year-old was loaned out from Montpellier in France.
“It was my first season abroad at the time. He was only my coach for six months, but he has an exceptional understanding of football. He helped me develop both as a player and as a person. I wish him all the best, but of course we want to take the three points when we play Bayern,” the center-back recently told Bild (via @iMiaSanMia).
Of course, the 2023/24 season spelled relegation for Burnley just one season after Kompany helped guide them to the Premier League from the English Football Championship. In that 2023/24 season, Estève made a total of 16 appearances in the Premier League before getting relegated and subsequently going back up to the Premier League for the 2025/26 season before ultimately winding up at Leipzig this summer.
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