I think in the end, 3 things did him in: His reluctance to assume a leadership role in the wake of Rafael van der Vaart’s transfer to Real, his unwillingness to play a more aggressive role in BMJ’s new attacking style, and of course, the Olympic debacle. No one would fault a man for wanting to represent his nation on sport’s largest stage–not even BMJ, but the fact that he completely ignored the agreement that was reached by HSV and the Belgian FA after some contentious negotiations was too much for the club.

On a sad note, it’s also come out that Kompany’s mother passed away after battling cancer last spring. This was during the time of friction with Huub Stevens (which resulted in Kompany’s benching and ultimate suspension); perhaps if he had let someone know what he was going through, there may have been a lot more understanding on the part of Hamburg management.