Great honor for Vincent Kompany: The head coach of FC Bayern was honored in Belgium with the renowned “Trofee Raymond Goethals” as Coach of the Year.
For the 39-year-old, it is a special honor – not only because of his sporting successes, but also because of the historical significance of the prize. In the vote, Kompany prevailed against Nicky Hayen, the former coach of Club Brugge, and Sebastien Pocognoli (formerly Union Saint-Gilloise, now AS Monaco).
However, Kompany was unable to attend the award ceremony in person. At the same time, he was challenged with FC Bayern in the Bundesliga, where the Munich team couldn’t get beyond a 2-2 draw against FSV Mainz 05. Father Pierre Kompany accepted the trophy on his behalf – and found the right words about his son: “Vincent doesn’t think about resting.”
The honoree himself spoke up via video message and was visibly moved. The award “means a lot” to him, explained Kompany, “especially considering the name and the history associated with it. Raymond Goethals remains an inspiration far beyond the borders of our country.” Words that underline respect for one of Belgium’s greatest coaches.
Kompany once came to FC Bayern as a supposed emergency solution
Raymond Goethals, who died in 2004 at the age of 83, had a lasting influence on Belgian football. He enjoyed great success with RSC Anderlecht, Standard Liège, Olympique Marseille and the Belgian national team.
The jury for the award is correspondingly high-caliber: former national coaches of the “Red Devils”, former award winners, referees and members of the awarding organization have been deciding on the winner since 2011.
For Kompany, the honor is another highlight of his impressive coaching career. Before last season, he was signed by FC Bayern as a supposed emergency solution, but then promptly led the club to the German championship.
In the current season, the Munich team is still in the title race in all three competitions and is comfortably leading the Bundesliga despite the slip-up against Mainz.