Manchester City unveil Kompany and David Silva statues

Dubai - David Silva joined the club in 2010 from Valencia and left last year for Real Sociedad

Manchester City unveiled statues of Vincent Kompany and David Silva at the Etihad Stadium, ahead of their home match against Arsenal. The statues were created by sculptor Andy Scott using thousands of welded pieces of galvanized steel, and are situated on the east side of the Etihad Stadium. During the night time, the statues will also be illuminated by a blue tinted lighting. The statues have been built to honour their contributions and instrumental roles that they played in Manchester City’s storied success during the recent years.

Speaking about the statues, Andy Scott said “I hope that Manchester City fans enjoy these artworks and appreciate them as a celebration of these two iconic footballers. I've been deeply honoured to have been asked to do them, and I've done my level best to do justice to them and their achievements.”

Vincent Kompany joined Manchester City from Hamburger SV in 2008 and left in 2019 to become a player-manager of Belgian club Anderlecht. During his 11 season tenure with the Cityzens, he captained them for eight seasons and lead the club to the 2011/12 Premier League trophy, which was their first top flight title in 44 years. He played a crucial role in the 2011/12 campaign, when he headed in a David Silva corner against Manchester United. The game ended 1-0, with Kompany’s goal helping Manchester City move up to first place on goal difference with two games of the season remaining.

The Belgian then went on to win three more Premier League titles, two FA Cup trophies, and four EFL Cups. David Silva also shares the same accolades, but has a fifth EFL Cup in 2019/20 and is also a World and European champion with Spain.

Vincent Kompany spoke about the unveiling of his statue, saying “I didn't really expect to be recognised by such a great club in that way. My wife is from Manchester, my kids are born in Manchester, and they go back to a place where they can see something that represents what their dad has achieved and that is something that I can't describe.

"The first time I saw the statue I couldn't believe how big it was, but then again, I'm a big boy, so fair enough! And then especially the pose, for me it means a lot.”

David Silva joined the club in 2010 from Valencia and left last year for Real Sociedad. The Spanish Midfielder made 436 appearances and scored 77 goals for the Cityzens.

“Being at City changed my life. I'm proud of what we did together and I feel emotional that it has been recognised like this,” Silva said.

"When I first saw the statue, I felt good, I thought it was like me. This statue really represents the way I like to play, I love the pose the sculptor has chosen. It really reminds me of those times I was on the pitch playing and that moment when I had to find the striker.”

A third statue of record goal scorer Sergio Aguero is also set to join the existing two statues.