Manchester City centre back Vincent Kompany has revealed his thunderbolt strike to give his side a crucial win over Leicester City was borne out of frustration at teammates and fans constantly urging him not to shoot.
Kompany produced a moment of near-unrivalled magic to snatch three all-important points against a resolute Leicester on Monday night. City had been frustrated by the Foxes for large parts of the opening 70 minutes at the Etihad, and the desperation was beginning to set in when the Belgian strode towards the goal and, with no defender choosing to impede him, let rip from about 30 yards out to score an iconic Premier League goal.
A rocket to secure the Premier League trophy goal? pic.twitter.com/wZaIkh59u1
— 90min (@90min_Football) May 7, 2019
Speaking to reporters after the game, as quoted by Duncan Castles on Twitter, the Belgian admitted: "Today was a little bit of frustration because everyone was saying ‘Don’t shoot, don’t shoot’, I could really hear it, and it was annoying me. And I said: ‘Hold on a second I’ve not come this far in my career for young players to tell me when I can take a shot on.'
"It’s 15 years of top-level football, of having midfielders tell me ‘Don’t shoot, play the ball wide’. And every single time I miss I told them: ‘One day I’m going to have a shot from outside the box, I’m going to score a goal, and you’re going to be really happy.’"
Long-time teammate Sergio Aguero was one of the first players to admit he was begging his captain not to take the shot on, telling Kompany during the celebrations after the final whistle: "Me, I tell you 'don't shoot!'. No, Vinny, no!"
Gabriel Jesus admitted to doing exactly the same from the bench, while assistant boss Mikel Arteta appeared to potentially compare the centre back to Manchester United's ball-striker-extraordinaire Paul Scholes.
Raheem Sterling was one of the first to reveal his thoughts on social media, uploading a photo of his face as the captain struck the ball, alongside the caption: "My face screaming "NOOOO VINNY WHY U DO THIS" so hard. What a hit boi!!! Captain Incredible."
In the post-game, the veteran defender claimed that he regularly hit the ball like that in training, but Portuguese teammate Bernardo Silva was having none of it as he jokingly told the press: "No, that’s not true. That’s not true. I’m sorry, Vinny, but that’s not true."
My face screaming "NOOOO VINNY WHY U DO THIS" so hard what a hit boi !!! Captain Incredible @VincentKompany pic.twitter.com/Ba6WKyPdg3
— Raheem Sterling (@sterling7) May 6, 2019
Even his boss Pep Guardiola was getting in on the act. When probed by Sky Sports on what he was thinking as his captain stepped up to rifle the shot, he admitted: “Pass the ball, pass the ball, but he take a good decision."
Asked if he thought the 33-year-old was capable of producing such a strike, the Spanish tactician mused: “Errrr, honestly? I didn’t have much confidence."
Source : 90min