Vincent Kompany, Belgium National Team and Manchester City FC captain, will join ESPN as a studio analyst for the UEFA European Football Championship 2016 (June 10 – July 10). Kompany is unavailable to represent Belgium due to a thigh injury sustained during Manchester City’s 2015-2016 Premier League campaign.
Kompany will contribute to ESPN’s studio team in Paris that includes a whole host of names, even former Everton Manager Roberto Martinez.
Kompany led Manchester City to its first Premier League title in 44 years during the 2011-12 season – the same year he was picked to captain the team. He is highly sought-after in the media for his football knowledge and insight. Kompany has played in 70 matches for the Belgian National Team, and is regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation.
Northwestern DE/OLB Ifeadi Odenigbo is a huge Vincent Kompany and Manchester City fan. We had an exclusive with Odenigbo, in which we discussed why and how he became a Kompany supporter. You can read that here at this link, but here’s an excerpt.
“I looked at the captain for each team, and one guy that stuck out to me was Vincent Kompany,” Odenigbo said.
“He’s a good person on and off the field, he does a lot of charity work for The Congo.”
Odenigbo watched a lot of Kompany’s interviews on YouTube, and from there he found his new hero.
“If I could be half the man he is, what he does for his team, what he does off the field, what he does on the field,” Odenigbo said with admiration over the phone.
Kompany is an official FIFA ambassador for the SOS Children charity. Of Congolese heritage, Kompany represents his father’s native Congo, and has invested and engaged in projects which aim to provide an education and safe living accommodation for children living in poverty.
From there, Odenigbo became a dedicated fan of the Man City and Belgium national team captain.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram