Alderweireld names Kompany as his pick to replace Infantino as FIFA president

Toby Alderweireld has put forward Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany as his choice to replace Gianni Infantino as FIFA president, citing the 40-year-old’s deep knowledge of the game as a player and coach.

Alderweireld, who formed part of Belgium’s celebrated defensive unit alongside Kompany across 47 international appearances, made the endorsement in an interview, describing his former teammate as someone driven by a genuine desire to reshape football.

“Who would be my pick to be the next president of FIFA? Vincent Kompany,” Alderweireld said. “I never thought before that he wanted to become a manager. He always talked about going on a mission to change football but maybe it’s his mission to protect football. He would be my president, always.”

Kompany has built a formidable managerial reputation since retiring from playing, winning back-to-back Bundesliga titles at Bayern Munich after earlier success in Belgium. As a player, he won multiple league titles in both Belgium and England.

Alderweireld’s case rests on the principle that FIFA’s leadership should come from within the game rather than from an administrative background. Infantino, who rose through UEFA before taking the FIFA presidency, has drawn criticism for what many perceive as a detachment from football’s culture and traditions.

“It’s very important that the FIFA president is someone who played the game and knows the game,” Alderweireld added. “We’re football fans too. We played the game. We know how it is. What it is to be a player and a fan.”

The former Southampton and Tottenham centre-back pointed to the spectacle of a 20-minute entertainment show at a World Cup half-time as an example of the kind of decision a football-literate president would have blocked.

“The most beautiful thing about the sport is its traditions. New things have their place too but we need to protect the traditions as well and that’s why you need football players, football people who have been around the game, to keep the businessmen in check,” he said.

Neither Kompany nor Bayern Munich have responded to Alderweireld’s suggestion.