5 footballers who became world class after a change in position

#4 Vincent Kompany

Kompany is regarded as one of the finest leaders on the planet.

At the age of just 17, Vincent Kompany was already playing first-team football for Anderlecht in the Belgian Pro League. He was deployed as a defensive midfielder there, and did pretty well, for he attracted Hamburg's attention with his performances, who then brought him to Germany to replace Daniel van Buyten.

After 2 years in the Bundesliga, he was given the step-up to England by in-transition Manchester City, managed by Mark Hughes. The Welshman played him in his natural position till 2010.

While he did fairly well as a defensive midfielder, it wasn't looking like he could personally keep up with City's progress. That all changed at the turn of the decade, when he started to play as a centre-back.

Eight years on, he's one of the best defenders in the history of the Premier League, and one of the best captains in the world. He is about to lift his third Premier League title at the end of this season and more could follow in the future. That's one thing Mark Hughes did right.