Speaking to Sport1 , the centre-back addressed rumours that Kompany wanted to take him to Germany's record champions in the summer of 2024 and shared an anecdote from that period. The Belgian had just left Esteve's former club Burnley to take charge in Munich in a surprise move.
"I genuinely don't know," the 24-year-old said of the rumours. "But I have a particular memory of that period and the rumours about Kompany and Bayern: towards the end of his time at Burnley, there were repeated reports that he might leave the club. After our last game against Nottingham, when we were relegated, I asked Vince whether he would stay despite relegation, and his initial answer was 'yes'. When talks with Bayern became serious that summer, he made a point of calling me to let me know."
For Kompany, the call was a matter of "respect", Esteve stressed. "Because we'd had that conversation after Nottingham. He didn't have to do that. But it shows even more what kind of character he has. I have enormous respect for him."
Despite a crushing relegation: why Bayern Munich appointed Vincent Kompany
Burnley had gone straight back down to the Championship without a fight after their spectacular return to the Premier League. Bayern needed a successor to Thomas Tuchel, having decided early that he would leave at the end of the season. A string of rejections and a failed attempt to persuade Tuchel to stay led them to Kompany. Sporting director Max Eberl, in particular, had pushed for Kompany's appointment.
A few months ago, Esteve followed Kompany to the Bundesliga. After Burnley were relegated from the Premier League again, he joined Bayern's rivals RB Leipzig for a reported €25 million plus bonuses. Loose rumours in the summer of 2025 had also linked the Frenchman with Bayern.
Getty ImagesMaxime Esteve full of praise for Vincent Kompany
Kompany's success in Munich hasn't surprised Esteve. "Even at Burnley, it quickly became clear to me that he would be successful at Bayern. Perhaps back then at Burnley he didn't have exactly the right types of player in every position to implement his style of play to perfection, as he is now managing to do at Bayern. It's working really well there at the moment," he said, adding: "He's also still a very young coach with a very modern style of play. I'm not at all surprised by how successful his time there has been." Esteve said Kompany also knows how to "strike the right tone": "He has a very good connection with the players, but it's not so close that it could cause problems. He has found a good balance."
On Saturday, Esteve and Kompany will meet again when Leipzig visit Munich. Bayern are looking to make amends after a 2-2 draw in Augsburg and a 3-3 draw in the Champions League against Norwegian underdogs Viking Stavanger. Before the round of fixtures, they were two points behind the teams at the top of the table (SC Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund).
Leipzig, meanwhile, are still waiting for their first points away from home. RB have collected all nine of their points on home soil. Most recently, coach Martin Demichelis's side recorded a resounding 6-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt and a narrow 1-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.