Pep Guardiola described Vincent Kompany as “something special” as the Manchester City captain celebrated the 10th anniversary of his arrival at the club.
Kompany joined City from Hamburg on August 22, 2008 for a reported £7.65million and has since won three Premier League titles, three League Cups, an FA Cup and two Community Shields.
The 32-year-old has struggled with injuries since Guardiola arrived at City, making just 28 Premier League appearances in the Spanish coach’s first two seasons at the helm.
But the City boss paid tribute to Kompany’s achievements over the last decade and said he was proud to work with the Belgium international.
“When one guy is with the same club for 10 years it’s because he is something special,” he told CityTV.
“Now will be our third year – thank you so much.”
Kompany’s team-mates joined the celebration of his decade at City, with Claudio Bravo saying: “Very few players have the privilege, to have a career like you have, with this club.”
Benjamin Mendy added: “You were born with this club!
“You are a great guy, a good man, a good captain with a lot of experience.”
Kompany has been described as one of the best defenders in world football, and is recognised to be a physically strong centreback, with excellent aerial ability, and mobility, as well as good technique and distribution. He is also a very accurate tackler with strong positional sense and excels at anticipating his opponents.