Vincent Kompany set for reunion with former club Hamburg: ‘The connection has always remained’

Back in early May, just days after Bayern had regained the Bundesliga, Vincent Kompany was walking through the tunnel at the Allianz Arena. He had just celebrated his first title as a coach in Germany with the fans. The Belgian was already as happy as Larry, but his mood would improve even more when he saw what was on one of the TV screens. Hamburg were romping to victory in Ulm and about to secure promotion back to the Bundesliga. “HSV against Bayern next season! Super!” he shouted with a beaming smile and clap of his hands.

That fixture now finally comes this Saturday – a special one for the 39-year-old, given his past as a player with the northern giants. “I didn’t have many clubs during my career – only three,” Kompany said at Friday’s pre-match press conference, explaining that he therefore has a close connection to HSV, Manchester City and also Anderlecht. Further elaborating on his time at the Volksparkstadion, Kompany admitted it wasn’t always easy, neither in sporting nor personal sense. His mother passed away while he was a player there, his sister had cancer and he also had nine months out with an Achilles tendon problem. “But I made lots of friends in Hamburg and also received the support of the club. That’s why the connection has always remained,” he said.

2006 switch to a top team

Things were very different at Hamburg when Kompany joined as a 22-year-old in 2006. They had just qualified for the Champions League for the second time in their history and were able to bring in some exciting young players, with the Belgian defender also following the likes of Dutch duo Rafael van der Vaart and Nigel de Jong. “We had good players back then,” Kompany stated.

Things are very different now with the team that’s just gained promotion and wants to cause an upset in Munich on Saturday. In fact, one stat in particular shows that things have been different ever since Kompany left. The current Bayern boss’ last appearance as a player in the Bundesliga was actually at the Allianz Arena as HSV claimed a 2-2 draw on 15 August 2008. Since then, the Red Shorts have failed to earn a single point in Munich, seeing an aggregate loss of 51-3 across nine visits.

An unpleasant departure, but a nice time

However, Kompany insisted that what’s happened since is nothing to do with him or his current HSV counterpart Merlin Polzin. There’s also another reason why he remembers that game in Munich so well. “After that, I knew I wanted to leave,” he revealed on Friday. Kompany had started the match on the bench, despite the fact the club had recalled him from the Belgian Olympic squad in Beijing, where he’d been desperate to play. “I was so annoyed. That was unacceptable to me on principle,” the 89-time international said. However, as he further explained, only one person in the club was responsible for the recall, which is why Kompany does not hold a grudge. “Everything before that was great, so I'm still grateful to HSV.”

As positive as the memories of his Hamburg past may be, on Saturday the coach and his team will be focused solely on securing important points in the race for first place in the Bundesliga. “We want to win this game, just like every other game,” Kompany assured everyone. In his team, no player will ever give less than their all, even for a single minute. “And if that ever happens – after all, they're only human – then there'll be trouble on Monday!” he threatened.

Read up on the key facts before Saturday’s game: