Vincent Kompany has such presence at Manchester City that a hush descends on the dressing room when he chooses to speak.
There is real weight behind the club captain’s words, delivered with articulate calm. Players stop when he talks. They absorb his words.
That is the prevailing feature Pep Guardiola will miss if Kompany — scorer of that wondergoal on Monday that keeps City firmly on course for back-to-back titles — decides not to sign the one-year contract extension on offer.
A leader of men, Vincent Kompany has come to define the new Manchester City
Kompany's wonderstrike against Leicester could prove crucial in winning the title
A leader of men, Kompany has come to define the new City, the City who set about upstaging the traditional elite.
Whenever his time at the Etihad does end, Monday’s scorching winner against Leicester will be in his top two individual moments, alongside a similarly crucial derby goal in 2012 that helped his team to the title.
Yet his impact transcends mere headers and volleys. And City want to harness that.
The defender has a job for life at the club he joined from Hamburg 11 years ago, weeks before Sheik Mansour’s takeover.
Club sources say Kompany, who has a Masters of Business Administration degree, can turn his hand to anything. Coaching, corporate or ambassadorial, the choice really does seem to be his.
Kompany commands respect and has done much excellent work for charity
The key to the respect with which Kompany is held at City comes from his refusal to gravitate towards any cliques. He commands respect, has the aura of Guardiola himself. His Belgium team-mates call him ‘Obama’ as a nod to his intelligence and charisma.
And it was striking to see officials from Manchester United, including Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, attend February’s gala dinner for his homeless charity, Tackle4MCR.
Kompany, 33, is the first man since Ian Brightwell two decades ago to be afforded a City testimonial — the game is scheduled for September — and all profits from this year of celebration will go to his charity.
That he chose homelessness, the worst problem facing Manchester, indicates his understanding of the area.
‘My dream is to continue to give back to this city and the people here, beyond my playing days,’ said the honorary Mancunian.
