After making an exclusive appearance at Pro-Direct Soccer’s LDN19 to pick up his new Warrior boots, we caught up with Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany who’s relishing the challenge of a new season.
SB: What do you remember most about buying boots when you were growing up?
VK: I just remember sitting with my dad and waiting for him to decide which boots were affordable! I never got the boots that I really wanted, but I was always excited and always grateful for whichever boots I could get my hands on.
SB: This is your second full season with Warrior. How is your relationship?
VK: My relationship with Warrior is brilliant. We develop the product every month and I’ve given them a lot of feedback and they’ve always responded very well by adapting the product to make it better and I think that is why we’re being competitive now. I’ve won titles and if you win titles and play well you have to thank the boots.
SB: How would you assess the modern football boot compared to when your first pair?
VK: There’s no comparison. When I was a child there was hardly any difference in materials, it was just a wrap that you would put around your foot. We were happy with it at the time but now everyone expects so much more from a football boot. You expect it to adapt to different weather conditions, different situations with different types of players. It is so much more complex but the game is more demanding now.
SB: I guess there weren't many stores like this back then?
VK: No! (laughs) You just went to your local sports store and usually you just had to get whatever they had as there wasn’t much choice. This is a dream for every kid that loves football.
SB: How many boots do you typically get through in a season?
VK: During a season it can be difficult to quantify. They are my tools so if I need a little change or the weather conditions change then I have them adapted. The best thing to compare it to is formula one, changing tyres for different tracks or weather.
SB: Are you somebody that has a new pair every game?
VK: No not every game but I’m quite heavy so my boots will wear out quicker than someone lighter. It could be close to 100 pairs a season! It’s horrible to say because I used to get through the season with just one pair but now it’s my job and the difference is in the details.
SB: How did winning the Premier League last season compare to 2011/12?
VK: The feeling was the same but the experience was very different. Everyone remembers the first season we won the Premier League and how it happened against QPR in the last game and last minute of the season. It was unbelievable but last season it was different as we knew what we had to do. There was less pressure but the emotions were the same.
SB: There has been a number of new arrivals at City this summer, how will they improve the team?
VK: I think all of them will make a big difference. Just watching Frank Lampard in training for example, people won’t tip him as one of the players to make the biggest difference for us this season but he looks amazing, unbelievable. The new guys as well- Mangala, Zuculini and Sagna are all player that will improve our team and give us a good chance of having a good season.
SB: Are there any Manchester City youngsters coming through this season?
VK: Yes but our best youngsters have gone out on loan to get some experience. Marcos Lopes is Lille, Jason Denayer is at Celtic and Karim Rekik is at PSV. They are big clubs so if they play well for them hopefully they’ll come back to us in the next transfer window.
SB: Are City better equipped to win the Champions League this season?
VK: I think so. We obviously was to be a part of that top three or four that dominate the Champions League and it’s definitely our ambition. What I’ve been able to witness at City is that every year we improve. Every year there are people who doubt our ambition but every year we prove them wrong. Eventually we’ll get there in the Champions League and I hope it will be this season.
SB: There are a number of new strikers in the Premier League this season, are you looking forward to playing against the likes of Diego Costa and Alexis Sanchez?
VK: I love every single minute of playing against the best strikers in the world. That is why you start playing football, that is what you dream of when you put on your boots as a kit, you put them on because you want to face the best and beat them. It it something that makes me stronger and I’ll rise up to the challenge whenever I play against the best.
SB: You won't be playing against Luis Suarez this season. How difficult was he to play against?
VK: Luis is one of the best strikers in the world, his record speaks for itself. To be honest it’s a shame for the Premier League that a player like him has left but at the same time there will be opportunities to play against him, or any other good striker, in the Champions League. He was unbelievable during his time in the Premier League but someone else will step up now.
SB: Are you excited to face a rejuvenated and stronger Manchester United?
VK: (Laughs) I’ve been in England for six years now and playing in the Manchester derby has always been a big fixture. I started at the very bottom of that fixture and over the years its shifted but the bigger the game gets the betters it is for the city and for the Premier League. There is nothing better than the big games played in this league.
Vincent Kompany was talking to us exclusivley at Pro-Direct LDN19 whilst picking up his Warrior Skreamer football boots, available now at select adidas stockists including Pro-Direct Soccer.
