Although Vincent Kompany is a legend for Manchester City, things could have turned out quite differently for the former defender, who Ferguson had eyed up for Manchester United.
On Saturday night at Turf Moor, Vincent Kompany manages Manchester United for the first time, and his Burnley team is just as eager for a win as the Red Devils.
The former captain of Manchester City had a historically successful first season in charge of the Clarets, who he easily led to the Championship title last season. With only one point coming from their first four games, this campaign’s early going has been much harder.
The Belgian is a legend at Manchester rival City, but things could have turned out very differently for the former central defender, who was Sir Alex Ferguson’s particular transfer priority for United when he was a great junior player at Anderlecht.
Ferguson’s 2015 book Leading included a player analysis sheet from the 2004–05 season, when United lagged behind Chelsea and Arsenal domestically. In addition to Kompany, Gabriel Heinze, Gerard Pique, and Philippe Mexes were listed as defensive transfer targets in the article.
Heinze and Pique would finally be acquired by United, while Mexes, a Frenchman from Auxerre, would eventually sign with Roma despite United’s invitation to visit Manchester and the gift of a Mexes-signed shirt.
The runaway winner, though, was Kompany, who would subsequently sign with Hamburg in the summer of 2006 before joining City two years later. Later, Ferguson explained how he had seen the Belgian during the young game and had noticed him drawn to another player.
“When I went to the Celtic v Anderlecht Champions League tie in Glasgow in November 2003, it was to watch the Belgian defender Vincent Kompany,” Ferguson said in 2018. “However, my attention soon gravitated to Celtic’s energetic young midfielder, slight of stature but with an assured, calm way about him.
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Ferguson alongside new signing Liam Miller in 2004 (
Manchester United via Getty Images)
“What I witnessed was a player with a tremendous set of midfield fundamentals — his movement off the ball, his penetration of the Anderlecht midfield. I came away smitten by his performance, not least the timing of his runs. Leaving Parkhead I was totally determined to get Liam Miller to Manchester United.”
Irish midfielder Miller joined United several months later and would make 22 first-team appearances before moving to Leeds on a loan deal and then joining Sunderland permanently in 2006. Tragically, Miller died on 9 February 2018, only four days shy of his 37th birthday, four months after it was made public that Miller was receiving treatment for pancreatic cancer.
In 2015, Kompany revealed that United had enquired about his future while he was still a youngster in Brussels: “United asked about me, but I had other priorities at the time. I was studying for my A-levels and my mother made me finish my education before I could concentrate on football.
“It’s a massive honour to be captain of this club and I can tell you that I feel really good. I have put my sweat and blood into Manchester City. I’m passionate about the club and I want success as much as the owners.”
Kompany went on to make 360 appearances for City, winning 12 trophies including four league titles and a lengthy period of the club’s captain, before joining Anderlecht in 2019. He will be hoping his Burnley side can make United have more regrets on Saturday.
