Kompany discharged from hospital after collapse rules out heart attack or stroke

Vincent Kompany has been discharged from hospital after collapsing at Bayern Munich’s training ground on Friday, with doctors ruling out a heart attack or stroke and identifying meningeal irritation as the probable cause of the incident.

The 40-year-old Belgian is believed to have experienced seizures during the collapse and also dislocated a shoulder in the fall, according to German newspaper BILD. He had reportedly missed some training sessions in the days prior due to a virus. Meningeal irritation refers to an inflammation of the meninges — the protective membrane layers surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

Bayern director Max Eberl confirmed Kompany’s discharge on Wednesday, offering a cautiously optimistic update. “Given the circumstances, he’s doing well,” Eberl told ARD. “He was discharged from the hospital today. That is the biggest and best news for all of us. It’s a meningeal irritation that caused this incident on Friday. He will now rest and take medication. I am very confident that he will be back on the touchline, operating at 100% very soon.”

Assistant coach Aaron Danks has stepped in to cover Kompany’s duties and previously reassured supporters that the manager is “getting better every day.” Kompany is not expected to return to the dugout for several weeks.

His absence comes at a significant moment for Bayern. The club drew with Arsenal in the Champions League two days before Kompany fell ill, beat Freiburg 3-1 to stay top of the Bundesliga on Sunday, and then defeated Magdeburg 6-1 in the DFB-Pokal in midweek — the latter without both Kompany and Harry Kane, who was kept on the bench following his Ballon d’Or win on Monday.

Kompany will also miss Saturday’s Bundesliga clash against Borussia Dortmund, the biggest domestic fixture of the season so far. Both sides are unbeaten and level on points at the top of the table.

The former Manchester City defender is chasing a third consecutive Bundesliga title at Bayern, having guided the club to the championship in back-to-back seasons. Before joining Bayern, he managed Burnley, leading them to promotion from the Championship before they were relegated from the Premier League.