Quotes from Vincent Kompany

I don't want to change how I am, how I play, so if it means taking more risks, it's always going to be the case, and that's fine for me.

I've worked extremely hard. There's always that part that people don't see, the things you do behind the scenes.

I think that's the reason why I'm proud to play for Belgium - because I can take ownership. I'm not saying that I'm not proud of being Congolese as well - but I'm saying this is also my country, and anything that happens in my country, I want to have a say.

I just enjoy training. I enjoy being there, enjoy coming into games and training sessions where I can feel that I'm as good or better than the players I have to play against or with.

Maybe from the outside, Belgium looks complicated to understand, but from the inside, actually, every country is complicated.

I kind of press pause when it's a derby, and the season doesn't matter to me anymore; it's all about the derby.

I'm kind of the wrong guy to bet against.

When City came calling, I researched the club, but when I first came through the door, it was weird: it was a big club but at the same time a small club.

I've been able to come back at a high level which is something I'm happy about, not just stand on the pitch but able to perform as well.

Brussels is sort of a mini London in the sense that if you think about putting a football pitch in London, people laugh at you. There is just no space.

Every club you sign for, they give you the same pitch - 'We've got a big project, big ambitions. We want to achieve this and that. We want to kick on' - and I just happen to be lucky that City was the one club that didn't lie about it.

There is one thing that is stronger than everything, and it is the colour of the shirt that you wear, and that is who you'll back.

As wealthy as you are, nothing, nothing, nothing guarantees you that through a breakdown of relationship, your kids won't end up on the streets. It's nothing to do with wealth: sometimes it can be down to other things, like the breakdown of relationships.

I think, mainly, you always look to keep your strong points in the team.

We can't always wait on the government to sort out all issues. I think they set policies, they set the rules, but we all have a duty to help as much as we can.

I'm someone who takes on information quite well, so there's maybe a path into management. But I see what successful managers have to go through to get to that level - it's a completely different ball game - so I think I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

I don't think that people understand enough about each other's cultures any more.

Funnily enough, I think Gary Neville is very interesting... and talks a lot of sense.

What we experience in the Premier League is so intense.

If a team prepares well, a good team becomes even better.

The biggest pass for a defender is a pass forward.

I love the derby because of the banter and rivalry. If you live outside of Manchester, you can take it out of context sometimes, where you can think it's all hate, and I don't think it is.

When I read or study, I don't do it for the degree - if I fail, it doesn't matter, but it just takes me out of this world where you're the centre of attention all the time. You just become a normal bloke when you're setting yourself those kinds of targets.

Whichever work you do, people go through life having several priorities. I know my football is what got me here. The work I do for SOS or my charity work in general has always been a priority for me, and then my family is a priority as well, so you set yourself different things, and they just balance each other out.