Vincent Kompany has urged Kevin De Bruyne to use the World Cup as a stage to win the Ballon d’Or.
Kompany, a former team-mate of De Bruyne’s for both Belgium and Manchester City, is backing the midfielder to be a star of the tournament. He believes the 29-year-old can help Belgium’s Golden Generation finally realise it’s full potential.
And Kompany also hopes that dream scenario would catapult De Bruyne to the Ballon d’Or - before Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe turn the fight for the title as Europe’s best footballer into the same kind of annual two-man shoot-out that has seen Cristiano Ronaldo battle Lionel Messi for the prize.
De Bruyne finished behind Real Madrid ’s Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane of Bayern Munich in the race for the 2022 award. And Kompany, now the boss of Championship table-toppers Burnley, said: “I have no doubt Kevin will be a key player in this tournament.
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“Of course, it’s still a team effort to get to those closing stages but De Bruyne is an important player for Belgium. He has been involved in the Ballon d’Or vote for a few years now and he can win it. He is at his peak.
“But if I was Kevin - or any player hoping to win the Ballon d’Or - I would get in there now. He needs to win it before Haaland and Mbappe start.
“Because, for the next 15 years, it could be another Messi-Ronaldo scenario. The next couple of years is definitely the moment for Kevin to get involved and try to win it.”
Kompany, 36, became Burnley boss in the summer after cutting his managerial teeth back in his home city of Brussels with Anderlecht. He spent 11 years at City, winning four Premier League titles, the FA Cup twice and four EFL Cups.
The former defender also represented his country 89 times - and helped them to a third-placed finish in the 2018 World Cup in Russia after beating England twice. Roberto Martinez’s team are second in the world rankings behind Brazil after topping the FIFA table for four years.
And there is huge expectation on Martinez to deliver a trophy with a squad that includes De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois.
Kompany said: “People talk about this Golden Generation - but they go into the tournament with the perspective of having the next Golden Generation.
“There is definitely enough talent there. This team could be a little bit in the middle of those two generations. Whether it’s too late or too early, we don’t know.
“One thing is for sure, Belgium have game-changers - and in any big competition you need game-changers.
“If you get Brazil or whoever somewhere down the line, and someone needs to put that ball in the back of the net, you need those game-changers.
“Belgium have got that. They have got experience - and they’ve got a coach they have worked with for a long time. So in terms of team cohesion, they have some real advantages.”
Kompany added: “In 2018, it was probably the strongest team Belgium has ever had in terms of top players at their peak at top clubs. But that’s not all it takes to get to a final.
“Croatia got to the final against France, who weren’t the best team in the tournament until they beat Argentina. They didn’t do anything before that, they were struggling in the group stages and scraped through. But they had Mbappe, who was firing at that moment.”
