It all began, in a roundabout sort of way, with a groin injury. A few minutes into the second leg of Manchester City’s Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, Vincent Kompany lunged awkwardly, felt a pop near the top of his right leg and knew what it meant. He would miss the rest of the season. He would miss Belgium’s Euro 2016 campaign. Most worryingly of all, he would be injured for the arrival of a man he was keen to impress: City’s new manager Pep Guardiola.
In a sense, the qualities that helped Kompany navigate a two- decade career were the same qualities that made him…
