Captain Vincent Kompany has left Manchester City to become player-manager at former club Anderlecht.

The 33-year-old defender has signed a three-year deal with the Belgian club, where he scored five goals in 73 appearances between 2003 to 2006.

Earlier on Sunday, Kompany said Saturday’s 6-0 FA Cup final win over Watford was his final game for City.

He won four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups in 11 years at Etihad Stadium.

“It’s the most passionate yet rational decision I’ve ever made,” Kompany, who first joined Anderlecht at the age of six, said in an open letter on Facebook.

“I want to share my knowledge with the next purple generations.

“With that, I will also put a bit of Manchester in the heart of Belgium.”

In the first part of his open letter, Belgium international Kompany said leaving City “doesn’t feel real”.

“Countless of times have I imagined this day,” he said. “After all, the end has felt nearby for so many years.

“Man City has given me everything. I’ve tried to give back as much as I possibly could.”

Centre-back Kompany joined City from Hamburg as a defensive midfielder in 2008 and was named club captain three years later.

He scored his final goal against Leicester on 6 May, a brilliant strike from 25 yards that was voted goal of the season on BBC Match of the Day.

That win took City to within one win of the Premier League title, which they sealed on the final day of the season with victory at Brighton.

BBC.com