Vincent Kompany: "Competing for trophies is a Bayern Munich coach's job"
Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany has said playing every competition to win is “the minimum for a Bayern coach” after orchestrating a record-breaking start to the 2025/26 Bundesliga season.
The Matchday 4 win over Hoffenheim means Bayern have maximum points after four top-flight outings and an unprecedented 18-3 goal record. They have already opened up a two-point lead at the top of the table, having picked up where they left off last season in claiming the club’s 33rd Bundesliga title.
That triumph marked a successful climax to Kompany’s first season as coach at the Allianz Arena, but the former Hamburg and Manchester City defender says he was simply fulfilling his job description.
Watch: Harry Kane helps Bayern beat Hoffenheim
“I also said last season that we could compete for the title, and if I’m still here in 10 years, then I’ll repeat that every year,” said the ex-Belgium international. “That is the minimum for a Bayern coach, we don’t need to discuss that. Every competition we take part in, we want to win.”
Having already lifted the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup and reached the DFB Cup second round, Bayern’s European challenge has also started positively. The 3-1 UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 win over FIFA Club World Cup 2025 winners Chelsea provided the six-time European champions with early momentum in the league phase.
With a maximum of 17 games to be played before Bayern could lift the trophy in Budapest next May, however, Kompany is keeping his optimism in check.
“The reality is that the Champions League is very difficult to win. We’re not thinking that far ahead,” said the Bayern boss, whose side go to Cyprus to face Pafos FC for their second league phase match next Tuesday. “Of course, the trophy is a dream. But we have to take things step by step and we’ll do all we can to achieve our goals.”
Watch: Bayern's attacking hurricane
To do that he will need his star players to step up to the plate. If they do, then they will have the chance of succeeding the freshly crowned Ballon d’Or winner, former Borussia Dortmund man Ousmane Dembélé, in claiming football’s most prestigious individual prize. Kompany acknowledged his star-studded Bayern squad contains a number of potential candidates.
“If you look at the performances of Harry Kane or Michael Olise, you could imagine them having a chance in the future,” said Kompany, who also named the injured Jamal Musiala as a potential future Ballon d’Or and said the upcoming World Cup would have a major influence on the 2026 vote.
“There could also be a surprise name. It’s all about being consistent with your club for 12 months, and also with the national team. It’s quite possible that one of our players will soon come to the fore.”
Summer signing Luis Díaz has certainly started his Bayern career in the right vein, registering four goals and two assists in seven appearances so far.
Kompany is delighted with the Colombian’s impact since his move from Liverpool, saying: “He was already a big part of one of the most intense teams in Europe. He has given us his personality and energy on the pitch.
“He fits in really well with what we try to tell as a story on the pitch. You can say it is easy to win games with good players, but to see what these guys deliver every single day and do it consistently is not easy. Luis is a big part of that.”
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