No messing, Roberto. Make Vincent Kompany your captain for next season NOW. Regardless of whether Carlos Tevez gets his wish to leave the club, and no matter how hard he plays if he does stay, the man should no longer be deemed worthy of the armband.
It is easy to dismiss the contribution that Tevez has made in his two explosive seasons at City.
It is no understatement to say that without his 52 goals, his immense work rate and his stirring example, then Blues would not be where they are now, on the brink of the most exciting period in their history.
And those City fans who just want to wash their hands of him, and move on, should do so with respect for Tevez’s contribution.
But as a captain, he is now compromised.
There is little doubt that if Tevez’s wishes – and the machinations of the former used car salesman he has as an
advisor – are thwarted, the player will give his all when he plays next season.
It is in his nature. The Fort Apache fighter in him won’t let him give anything less than everything.
But being a captain is a lot more than playing with heart and leading by example.
Inspiration
He has to be a figure respected by his fellow pros, an ambassador and an inspiration, a man who is weaved into the fabric of the club, and understands precisely what that club is all about.
Tevez, regrettably, is not that man.
Far from embracing City, and Manchester, he has kept them at arm’s length, a man afraid or unwilling to show his emotion.
The thought of him walking forward, at the Community Shield, to shake hands in the centre circle, is absurd given the history of the last eight months.
Kompany, by contrast, has shown the right qualities to lead City on the field and off it.
He is every bit as committed as Tevez on the pitch. Playing in more than 50 games this season, his commitment and ferocious will to win has never flagged.
The fans have roared their approval of him, and voted him as their player of the year.
Players often see things differently, as they witness a side of men which the public doesn’t see – how he conducts himself in training and in the dressing room, and even on a night out.
But the City players voted overwhelmingly for Kompany as THEIR player of the year as well, which – given the extreme respect they have for David Silva, Nigel de Jong, Yaya Toure and Tevez – proves unequivocally just how outstanding Kompany was last season.
Off the field, we see his fitness for the task all the time.
If City win, players are eager to talk to the media, to discuss the merits of the team and their own performance.
When they lose, the candidates for interview thin considerably.
Kompany always fronts up. He knows that he is not just speaking to annoying journalists with their repetitive questions, but explaining himself and his team to the City fans.
It is not the media who deserve answers when things go awry, but those paying supporters, and Kompany recognizes that.
Intelligent
Not only that, he avoids the anodyne quotes if possible. He is thoughtful and intelligent in several languages, and can be brutally honest about himself, while being diplomatic about the shortcomings of teammates.
He also rose to the moment when Tevez was struck down with a hamstring injury just days before the FA Cup semi-final against United. Those few days in April were possibly the most important in the club’s history, and they had lost their talisman.
Kompany laid it on the line to his troops in that Wembley dressing room, and the rest is history.
As for Carlos, perhaps he should take the advice of wise old Joe Royle, speaking on a national radio station the other day.
He suggested that the player, if desperate to return to South America, might stump up a fraction of the £20million he has garnered in wages at City and help pay his own way back to Corinthians and Boca Juniors.
Over to you, Carlos.
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