Revealed: How Pep Guardiola's bold prediction convinced Bayern Munich to hire Vincent Kompany as Man City legend hailed as 'perfect' for Harry Kane & Co

Bayern made the shock appointment of Kompany in the summer of 2024 after being knocked back by several high-profile targets. The Bavarian side had reportedly sounded out the likes Julian Nagelsmann, Ralf Rangnick, Oliver Glasner and even a return for Hansi Flick, but were forced to turn to Kompany, despite his recent relegation from the Premier League with Burnley.

The decision to hire the Belgian was met with great scepticism among German media, but the team have gone from strength-to-strength under the former Manchester City captain over the last two seasons, becoming one of the strongest teams in Europe.

Bayern could have gone down a completely different path, however, had it not been for Kompany's former mentor, who received a call from his former employers and told them to snap him up before it's too late.

Hoeness recounted the defining moment, telling DAZN: "If you think about it, what luck we had! I didn't actually know him before either. Max [Eberl] had proposed him as the fourth or fifth option. Then Max flew to Burnley with Christoph Freund. And Karl-Heinz [Rummenigge] and I then called Pep Guardiola. He told us: 'You have to take him blindly, because if you don't take him now, he'll be at City in two or three years.'"

Since taking charge, the 40-year-old has transformed the atmosphere, leading Bayern Munich to two consecutive Bundesliga titles and one DFL-Supercup. Boasting a remarkable record of 81 wins, 14 draws, and just 12 defeats across 107 matches, his success stems from sheer dedication.

Hoeness noted: "He is perfect as a person, I would say. He is very intelligent, the others were too. He is polyglot, speaks five languages fluently. At the first dinner, one thing pleased me incredibly – he said: 'The most important thing in this profession is work.' And he also said: 'I will be the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave in the evening.' And with that, he of course documented that he doesn't just talk about it, but also carries it out. I believe that was the all-decisive point."

Bayern desperately needed a mental reset following a turbulent era under Thomas Tuchel. Although Tuchel snatched the 2022-2023 Bundesliga title on a dramatic final day, his reign quickly unravelled. The club announced his impending departure in February 2024 during a disastrous campaign that saw the German giants finish third in the league, suffer an embarrassing cup exit to third-tier Saarbrucken, and fail in the Champions League.

With 16 defeats in just 61 matches, and a toxic atmosphere lingering since the days of Flick’s historic sextuple and Nagelsmann’s abrupt sacking, the dressing room was fractured. Kompany's ability to unify this squad of elite stars has been a breath of fresh air. Unlike previous regimes, there is no public friction regarding transfers.

Hoeness highlighted this refreshing approach: "What also makes him very special is his social competence. He doesn't let anyone down. He would never put someone down in the press. He would never speak badly about one of his players or the club. Or say after a bad game: 'We need a left-back, we need this, we need that.' No, he has set himself the goal of making individual players better and he has succeeded in that."

Bayern host Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, looking to overturn a 5-4 first-leg deficit to reach the Champions League final. Already in the DFB-Pokal final, and with the Bundesliga title wrapped up the club could complete a historic clean sweep of trophies this term.