Angela Merkel speaks about Vincent Kompany’s medical leave. The former chancellor even draws a personal parallel.
Angela Merkel has commented on Vincent Kompany’s forced break due to health issues and wished the FC Bayern coach a speedy recovery. In an interview with Johannes B. Kerner for the MagentaTV show “Bestbesetzung,” the former chancellor spoke at length about Kompany—and drew a remarkable parallel to her own experience.
“First of all, I felt incredibly sorry for him. Of course, I wish him the speedyest recovery. But also an environment where he can really take his time,” Merkel said. She also emphasized her high regard for the Bayern coach: “I have immense respect for Vincent Kompany’s work. Also for his clear stance on discrimination and many other issues. I can imagine that if I were a soccer player—male or female—I’d want a coach like him.”
Kompany collapsed last Friday at FC Bayern’s training facility after watching the amateur team practice. The 40-year-old has since been discharged from the hospital. He was diagnosed with meningitis. The Belgian has already missed the games against Freiburg and Magdeburg, and it remains unclear when he will return to the bench.
Merkel draws a parallel to her own experience
Merkel became particularly personal when she spoke about the physical warning signs that ultimately forced Kompany to take a break. “Let me put it this way: Vincent Kompany didn’t exactly choose to stay home. It took an incident for his body to finally say, ‘Stop!’”
The 72-year-old then recalled a situation from her own time as chancellor. In 2019, Merkel had drawn attention during several public appearances due to visible tremors. “That’s exactly how it was for me, too. Back in 2019, when I was shaking during military honors—a moment when tension was released, likely due to my mother’s death or the fact that I knew I was going to step down—the body simply sends a signal, and that’s actually a very, very good thing from a human perspective,” Merkel explained.
Until Kompany is fully fit again, the coaching staff led by Aaron Danks will take over his duties at Bayern. When the Belgian returns to the sidelines depends on how his recovery progresses.
