Pep Guardiola & Roberto Martinez Confirmed as Managers for Vincent Kompany's Man City Testimonial
Manchester City have confirmed that Pep Guardiola and Roberto Martinez will be the two managers for Vincent Kompany's testimonial.
Kompany left City this summer after 11 years with the club, and was rewarded with a testimonial match in September which will see a side of City legends take on a Premier League all-stars XI.
City took to their official website to reveal the identities of the two managers. Guardiola is set to lead the City Legends, whilst Martinez will take charge of the Premier League All-Stars.
On his appointment, Guardiola said: “To have the opportunity to manage the Manchester City Legends for this game is an honour and a privilege for me. Vincent’s place in the pantheon of City greats is secure and for me to have the chance to be so involved in his testimonial really means a lot.
“It was immediately clear to me when taking over at City just how important Vincent was to this football club.
“Everyone had already told me about his impact, but when I began working with him, I quickly realised the magnitude of his contribution. He was the leader in the dressing room and an inspiration on the field.
“For a decade, he was the soul of the football club. The City fans know better than me how much he means, but from my perspective he could not have done more to help us achieve success in my time here.
“He deserves all the respect and admiration we can give him, and I hope this testimonial goes some way to helping him realise how much we all admire and appreciate his contribution to Manchester City.”
Shaun Botterill/GettyImages
Martinez added: “I am honoured to be involved in this special milestone in Vincent's career. He is a role model in Belgian football as a whole and his leadership, commitment and excellence in his work makes him a very unique footballer, who has inspired and will continue to inspire many a dressing room.
“He truly deserves this celebration on the occasion of his testimonial and I am very much looking forward to being part of it.”
The match is set to feature the likes of Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart and Micah Richards on the side of the City Legends, and they will come up against former Premier League greats like Emile Heskey and Rafael van der Vaart, with plenty of others to be named later.
