Vincent Kompany delivered a stunning tribute to Vinicius Junior immediately after his Bayern Munich side secured a 2-1 Champions League victory at the Bernabeu, insisting the Brazilian “must stay exactly as he is” and that protecting unique talents like him matters more than any result.
Bayern raced into a two goal lead through Luis Diaz and the returning Harry Kane before a late Kylian Mbappe strike gave Madrid a lifeline. The tie is finely poised ahead of next Wednesday’s return leg in Munich.
But after the final whistle, Kompany’s focus was not entirely on the scoreline.
Instead, the Belgian manager spoke passionately about the Madrid forward someone he met for the first time during a friendly touchline embrace before the second half.
‘You need players who are different’
In a candid interview with Amazon Prime, Kompany made it clear that his respect for Vinicius transcends the boundaries of the pitch.
“That was the first time I’ve met him,” Kompany said. “Vini must stay exactly as he is. He has my total support regardless of whether he is an opposing player or not.
“You need players who are different. We enjoy the success of these players. It was the same with Franck Ribery at Bayern. You are allowed to have an opinion, but you must never cross a line.”
The comments are significant given the recent alleged racial abuse aimed at Vinicius, most notably an incident involving Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni in February that sparked widespread outrage.
Kompany’s long standing stance
This is not the first time Kompany has spoken out. The Bayern boss previously delivered a powerful monologue lasting nearly 12 minutes on the subject of racism in football, drawing on his own heritage to address systemic issues.
He clearly sees Vinicius as a symbol of something bigger than football.
“That is why I have a lot of respect for Vini,” Kompany added. “Of course, I don’t want him to play too well against us, but this respect will always stand above the result.”
The tie is not over
Bayern take a slender 2-1 lead back to the Allianz Arena. They will be confident but not complacent.
Madrid have overturned worse deficits in this competition more times than anyone cares to remember. Vinicius, Mbappe and co will be desperate to turn things around in front of their own fans in the second leg.
Before that, Madrid face a domestic test against Girona. Bayern travel to St Pauli to keep their Bundesliga momentum rolling.
But the subplot is already set. Kompany has wrapped an arm around Vinicius. The Brazilian will feel the support. And if he produces something special in Munich next week, do not be surprised.
Kompany might even be the first to applaud.
