Vincent Kompany faced criticism for a ‘disrespectful’ moment after coming back to Man City.
Manchester City is coming to the end of an important chapter as Pep Guardiola says goodbye and leaves the Premier League. Under Guardiola, Man City became regular winners, turning their big budget into trophies more than most clubs could dream of.
One of the few to match this success is Bayern Munich, where former City captain Vincent Kompany has just won back-to-back German titles and finished the season with a domestic double.
Guardiola’s farewell started at the Etihad Stadium after Sunday’s loss to Europa League champions Aston Villa, and continued on Monday with a celebration of City’s 2025-26 cup double wins. This season, City added the Carabao Cup and FA Cup to Guardiola’s impressive trophy collection.
During his ten years with City, Guardiola won the Premier League six times and helped the club become the second to win the Champions League under his leadership. His influence is felt far beyond City—he’s shaped managers and football at the highest level, especially in the Premier League and Bundesliga this season.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was once Guardiola’s assistant at City, and Kompany spent over ten years there as a standout defender and league-winning captain. Kompany was in Manchester for Guardiola’s send-off, proudly showing off the Premier League trophy, decorated with blue and white ribbons, in front of thousands of City fans.
As a four-time Premier League winner, Kompany had every right to celebrate this part of Guardiola’s legacy. But because Football Twitter loves drama and “respect” debates, some people found fault with Kompany’s role in the tribute to another club’s manager.
One user reposted a video of Kompany confidently carrying the trophy and quickly accused him of “disrespect,” saying, “Why is a Bayern manager getting so involved in all of this?? Feels very disrespectful to Bayern.”
So far, Vincent Kompany and Bayern Munich haven’t commented on this.