Vincent Kompany claims Pep Guardiola ruthlessly axed Man City’s “best character”

15 June 2023 , 22:38

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Vincent Kompany claims Pep Guardiola ruthlessly axed Man City’s “best character”

Manchester City legend and current Burnley boss Vincent Kompany has admitted he feels Joe Hart was the "best character" he encountered during his time at the Etihad.

The Belgian spent 11 years in the blue half of Manchester and saw plenty of players come and go in that time, but still clearly has strong feelings for Hart to this day, as do most City fans. The goalkeeper, now of Celtic, joined City as a teenager and enjoyed 12 years at the club, during which time he won two Premier League titles.

However, after Pep Guardiola was appointed City boss in the summer of 2016, things changed for Hart. The new manager was after a more modern 'keeper, the kind that is comfortable with the ball at their feet and can be used as the first line of attack.

This style wasn't in Hart's armoury, with the former England number one more famed for traditional qualities such as shot-stopping and command of his area.

As a result, Hart was sent to Torino on loan during the 2016/17 campaign, before another loan spell at West Ham followed the season prior.

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His 12-year association with City officially ended in the summer of 2018, when Hart penned a two-year deal with Burnley, the same club Kompany would go on to manage.

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Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany

Discussing his former team-mate, the current Clarets boss had nothing but kind words to say and conceded it was sad he was exiled as a result of the demands of goalkeepers in the modern game changing.

Speaking to the Overlap in partnership with Sky Bet, Kompany explained: "As a personality for the team, Joe Hart was the best character. I saw his development – he went from being the dressing room clown to being the positive energy and motivator to being a real leader.

"I don’t think people remember how big it was in those first two titles we had, and in those first years where Manchester City were doing well. He was unbelievable – he was unlucky that the game changed, right at the moment where he was going into his prime."

Kompany's trip down memory lane didn't simply stop at Hart, with the four-time Premier League winner also reminiscing on his favourite goal as a City player.

He added: “[My favourite goal was] against Manchester United [in April 2012]. It meant so much more. The other goal [against Leicester ] that went top corner, I’m telling my players not to shoot from there! It was nice, everything landed the way it was supposed to.

"It was my last game at the Etihad. I remember after the game, I saw the chairman, and he was the first person I told."

Josh O'Brien