Vincent Kompany turns 34 today, but it feels like the Manchester City great has been around a lot longer than that.
He is quite rightly regarded as one of the most iconic players of the modern era for City.
Boasting four Premier League title wins, two FA Cups and four League Cups, the 34-year-old has a pretty good claim to be seen as the most important player in the club's recently decorated history.
Kompany struggled with injuries towards the end of his City career but it was fitting that it was he who scored the vital goal against Leicester last year to keep City's noses ahead of Liverpool in the title run-in.
It was his last big contribution in City blue but it certainly wasn't his only one.
A leader on the pitch as much as he was off of it, the former City captain embodies the recent years of success at the Etihad. It is easy to forget where it all began for the defender when he arrived in Manchester.
The club had not long been taken over by Sheikh Mansour who invested significantly in the club with 2008 deadline day signing Robinho grabbing the headlines after an unlikely £32.5m move from Real Madrid.
Such a signing meant that Kompany's arrival just a week earlier went under the radar to some extent.
It is hard to pinpoint a period in the defender's time at City that he didn't play a crucial role for the team in one way or another. The 2010/11 season is remembered for City winning their first major trophy in 35 years with the FA Cup and Kompany played a crucial role in what was his true breakthrough season in Manchester.
On top of lifting the FA Cup at the end of the season, City finished in third to secure UEFA Champions League qualification. The Belgian was at the heart of a defence that conceded a league-best 33 goals.
The following campaign Kompany played a crucial role in City's first title win in decades, scoring a memorable winner in a late-season derby win over Manchester United. He won the Premier League's player of the year award too but that would have meant little to him had City not won the title. He grew into the role as the club's leader in terms of his own performances but also as a more traditional captain.
Kompany quickly emerged as a player who could take on the responsibility of leading his side in a way that many other top clubs had been used to.
Astonishing title races with United and Liverpool in 2011/12 and 2013/14 respectively ended with City emerging victorious on both occasions. And while Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Yaya Toure were all huge influences going forward, Kompany was the glue that brought it all together.
A persistent struggle with injuries from 2015 meant that the Belgian became more of an influence in the dressing room than directly on the pitch in his latter years at the club. A multitude of injuries including groin, hamstring and calf problems hampered the remainder of his career in Manchester, but that didn't stop him enjoying success with the club.
The arrival of Pep Guardiola in 2016 elevated City to a new level and the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss was soon won around having initially been unconvinced by Kompany's quality on the ball.
Kompany won a further two league titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup under Guardiola and the Catalan stated in 2019: “When Vincent was fit, he took such an important role in our team – unfortunately sometimes that couldn't happen – but whenever he played, he did so with pride, passion and desire.
“We will miss him. I will miss him a lot. Of course, I wish him the very best in the next stage of his life, but he is an incredible part of this football club and will remain so forever.”
Kompany's 11-year love affair with the club came to an end last year, but the foundations that Kompany helped lay will ensure his influence is long-lasting.
As the Belgian himself stated in 2011 after the FA Cup final win: “We've put a foundation down, we're going to build a house on it now.”
Source: m.allfootballapp.com