Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has surprised many by overlooking Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo when naming the most formidable opponent he faced during his illustrious playing career.
Instead, the Bayern Munich manager reserved that distinction for a Brazilian whose artistry left a lasting mark on him long before the modern era became defined by a two-man rivalry.
Kompany’s career spanned 17 years at senior level, from his early days at Anderlecht through spells in Germany and England, culminating in a transformative period at Manchester City where he wore the captain’s armband.
Across 621 appearances for club and country between 2003 and 2020, the Belgian centre-back went toe-to-toe with some of football’s most celebrated attackers. His duels in the Premier League and on the international stage routinely pitted him against the very best of his generation.
Yet when reflecting on the single opponent who impressed him most in a one-off encounter, Kompany looked beyond the statistical dominance and sustained excellence associated with Messi and Ronaldo. He acknowledged their standing at the summit of the modern game but pointed to a different experience as the most striking of his career.
“Ronaldinho impressed me the most. Of course Messi and Ronaldo are probably the best players – but from what I saw in one game, it was Ronaldinho,” he told the media.
The choice underlines the unique aura that once surrounded the former Barcelona and Brazil playmaker. At his peak, Ronaldinho combined imagination, balance and audacity in ways that defenders often found impossible to predict. For a defender of Kompany’s pedigree, renowned for his composure and positional intelligence, such praise carries considerable weight.
Now in the dugout at Bayern Munich, Kompany’s reflections offer a revealing glimpse into the moments that shaped him as a player.
