There was a moment, around eighteen months ago now, that Vincent Kompany began to privately accept that his elite level career at Manchester City might be over.

Midway through Pep Guardiola’s traumatic first campaign in England, Kompany was bogged down by injuries and many well-placed confidants in Belgium believed his time at the club would soon end.

His latter years at City were increasingly punctuated by injuries - at one point the count reached over 36 different setbacks - but still Kompany persevered, still he strove to return to the centrepiece of Guardiola’s outstanding side.

Vincent Kompany has cemented himself as a Manchester City legend in his decade at the club

Kompany is a different player now to the all-conquering machine that first arrived at City

Kompany has overcome an array of injuries to become a centrepiece of Pep Guardiola's city

Kompany is a different player these days to that all-action, all-conquering machine who powered City to their first trophies of the Sheikh Mansour era. He puts brain before brawn, playing the first couple of yards in his mind and asserting his authority ahead of younger and sharper strikers.

His contributions remain valued on the pitch but for Guardiola, the standards set by Kompany in the dressing room are of equal value.

One of the most striking moments of the Amazon Prime documentary about life at City comes when Kompany addresses young supporters and tells them the story of Nelson Mandela.

He speaks of his own childhood shaped in the violent suburbs of Brussels and how he battled to confound the pattern of an area where young people do not go on to great things. Increasingly, Kompany acts as the conscience of football, challenging stereotypes and speaking with a passion and wisdom that suggests a period in diplomacy may yet follow his playing career.

This month marks ten years since Kompany joined the club in the summer that followed Manchester United winning a Premier League and Champions League double in 2008 and only nine days before the Sheikh Mansour revolution began.

His £6m purchase from Hamburg must be among the greatest Premier League bargains. At his very best, Kompany was a Rolls-Royce of footballer, assured in possession and powerful without it. A force in both penalty areas, he was for a good few years on par with Nemanja Vidic and John Terry as the best in the division.

Kompany has carved a reputation as posed in possession and powerful without it

Kompany has lifted the Premier League title three times during his tenure with City

KOMPANY IN PREMIER LEAGUE 2008-09: 34 games, 1 goal 2009-10: 25 games, 2 goals 2010-11: 37 games, 0 goals 2011-12: 31 games, 3 goals 2012-13: 26 games, 1 goal 2013-14: 28 games, 4 goals 2014-15: 25 games, 0 goals 2015-16: 14 games, 2 goals 2016-17: 11 games, 3 goals 2017-18: 17 games, 1 goal 2018-19: 1 game, 0 goals Advertisement

Yet thinking back over the past decade, who could have imagined then that the Manchester landscape would change this dramatically?

City have now finished above United six times in the past seven seasons and it is tempting to wonder where the red half of Manchester might be if they had a player with the personality and enduring quality of Kompany to marshal that shoddy defence.

At City, Kompany has seen it all. He was there when the club were bought out by Abu Dhabi and he has revelled in all the wonderful chaos that has ensued since.

He was there when Brazilians Elano and Robinho did keepy-uppies with rolled-up socks in the changing room, he was there when Carlos Tevez and Roberto Mancini had that almighty row in Munich and he was there when City ended 44 years of agony by pipping Manchester United to the title.

On three occasions, he has lifted the Premier League title for Manchester City. Kompany has never accepted second-best. The Belgian said: ‘When I was six-years-old I remember players being scared of returning to the dressing room if we had lost the game because they knew I would be waiting for them.’ He will hope still to lift the Champions League.

It has been an eventful decade at City and Kompany has been there every step of the way

Kompany remains integral part of the setup at City under manager Guardiola

He has adapted to English life. He is married to a Manchester girl and his father-in-law is a United supporter. In another world, he might have ended up at Old Trafford.

Coming through at Anderlecht, the local press dubbed Kompany as the ‘Belgian Desailly’ and there were early approaches by both Manchester United and Chelsea.

City will forever be grateful he turned down those opportunities and instead become their very own legend.