Vincent Kompany: 'The most important things are the hearts of my players'

Vincent Kompany and Nathaniel Brown boarded the shuttle right after the final whistle of the 2-2 draw at Augsburg: a special evening awaited them. The FC Bayern head coach was presented with the Bavarian Minister-President’s personal award by Markus Söder at the 2026 Bavarian Sports Awards ceremony. 23-year-old Brown won in the youth category.

Kompany had “achieved outstanding things in a very short time,” Söder said in his speech, which is why Kompany deserves this special award: “You’ve delighted us all!” The Minister-President recalled “legendary Champions League matches against Read Madrid and Paris,” adding that the 40-year-old had moulded a team in an impressive manner: “You do everything with this great warmth and humility. My feeling is that you’re one of those coaches who can shape an era at FC Bayern.” Kompany said: “The most important things for me are the hearts of my players – and in the end, I’m happy when the fans appreciate what we do.” He said he had “quickly understood” FC Bayern and the whole region. Söder drew a link to the bid to host the Olympic Games, where “FC Bayern had made a strong impression.” Kompany added all his visitors were thrilled by Munich: “I’m happy to be here, and I hope many others get to know this wonderful city and region.” Nathaniel Brown, who had been “one of the positive surprises in the national team,” according to the jury, and had scored Bayern’s crucial second goal against Augsburg hours earlier, thanked his mother, who was present and had supported him in his dream of becoming a pro since his childhood.

Alongside Beckenbauer, Rummenigge & Co.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge received the personal award last year and FC Bayern Women were honoured “Ambassadors of Bavarian Sport” in 2025. The longtime CEO sat among honorary president Uli Hoeneß, president Herbert Hainer and current CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen. Kompany joins  Franz Beckenbauer, Thomas Müller, Philipp Lahm, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Oliver Kahn, Sepp Maier and Rummenigge, who have also previously been honoured. Brown followed in the footsteps of Joshua Kimmich, Mats Hummels, Jamal Musiala and Uli Hoeneß, who too were once presented with this trophy.

Brown’s incredible pace

Enrico Valentini, 1. FC Nürnberg’s record player and Brown’s former teammate at FCN, said in his speech that captains tend to believe they’ve seen almost everything in football. “And then a young player comes through the youth ranks, you take him under his wing – and a few years later he plays at FC Bayern, wears the national team’s shirt, scores at a World Cup, and here you are giving a speech in his honour.” He added with a grin: “Dear Nene, if I had known how quickly it would happen, I’d have got myself a faw signed shirts. They’d probably be a good asset today!” Brown brings incredible pace – on the pitch and throughout his career: “Sometimes I almost had the feeling your path was ahead of your development. I’m all the more proud of how you’ve been handling this pace, how modest and down-to-earth you’ve remained, how you keep listening and working and don’t let anything that’s happening around you throw you off course,” said Valentini. The award “isn’t meant to place any new expectations on your shoulders – it’s recognition of what you’ve achieved and of the path you’ve chosen. You’ve earned this award – through your talent, hard work, courage and above all you character.”