VINCENT KOMPANY HAS been rewarded for captaining Manchester City to their first Premier League title with a six-year contract.
The 26-year-old – a key figure under Roberto Mancini and scorer of the crucial winner against Manchester United late in the campaign – has been offered a new long-term deal at the club, they’ve confirmed today. Kompany said he felt as though the Blues ‘project’ was also his own and the Belgian insisted he never dreamed of moving away from the Etihad Stadium.
“For me if you are good somewhere then there is no reason to look elsewhere,” he told the official City website on Thursday. ”Man City as a project is not just a project of the owners or the people employed by the club; it is also my project.
“I have been here since the beginning and I have seen everything at the club change inside and out. I have the feeling that I have contributed to it too. It is good to know that I can be at City for another six years. It is a compliment that the club feels so highly of me.
“Hopefully in the future I will have a bigger impact than I already have. I am good here.”
Kompany joined City in 2008 from Hamburg and gradually rose to become the Blues’ captain after Carlos Tevez was stripped of the honour last summer following the Argentine’s pleas to move away from the Etihad. The centre-back added: “The fans have given me an incredible reception which is one of the main reasons that I signed this new deal.
“My family is happy and there are so many more trophies to win at this club that is why it makes it so special. I take it with great pride that I have been chosen to be captain and lead this team. Especially in England, more than other competitions, being the captain has got a lot more responsibility involved with it.
“I thrive on responsibility the more I get the more I perform; I am at the right club because I have built something here already. I have never denied that this can sometimes be the hardest team in the league of which to be captain; but like I said I am all about responsibility and challenge.
“This Man City project was probably one of the most difficult projects in Europe to be part of and so far we have all done a gone job even though a lot of people said it (success) wasn’t going to happen so quickly. I like the kind of characters that we have in our team; I like the challenges we have ahead of us.Now is the time to build the culture of winning we are in the right time; we are in the right moment.”
City secured last season’s Premier League trophy by scoring twice in the final few minutes of their final match at home to QPR to come from 2-1 behind to dramatically leapfrog Manchester United in the table on goal difference. Kompany admitted that one league title has whet his appetite and he hopes that the Blues can build on that success in the coming campaign.
“Our title win was amazing and one of the best feelings ever for us and the fans,” the Belgium international continued. ”That last game against QPR will be a very special part of City’s history for the next 50 or 100 years but now is the time to look forward.
“Now I just want to move on. I have travelled a lot this summer all over the world and our story has been a big story everywhere. It made a huge impact, including here in China and Asia in general. I met a lot of people in a lot of different countries and they have all got their reminders of the moment we won and how they experienced it in some way.
“We have laid the foundations and now we want to win more. If we do that then we can be one of the most successful clubs for a long time to come and that is the aim. I can’t wait to get started again. I am really excited about the season ahead.”
