Hamburg in good Kompany

There is already an assured maturity to Vincent Kompany, who at 20 has been given the daunting task of replacing Daniel Van Buyten as the rock in the Hamburger SV defence. After scoring the only goal of the game on his debut against Hertha BSC Berlin in the German League Cup last week, Kompany surprised journalists by speaking fluent German - having previously said he would only answer questions in English. It was a clear sign the youngster is adapting quickly following his €8m move from RSC Anderlecht.

Record fee
"He appears unbelievably mature for his age and I'm sure we'll have lots of fun with him," coach Thomas Doll declared after Hamburg paid out a club-record fee for the Belgium centre-back. "I desperately wanted him." As Hamburg prepare for a UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie against CA Osasuna, supporters will soon see why. Kompany has quickly risen to the top. He made his international debut aged 17 and was only 12 months older when voted Belgian Footballer of the Year.

Exceptional talent
A move abroad was inevitable, but Hamburg were far from Kompany's only option. "There are clubs that are interested in you, and there are clubs that really want to sign you," he said. "This was the reason for coming to Hamburg. Also, the future seems bright." He may well be right. Since winning three Bundesliga titles in five seasons up to 1982/83 - when they also famously defeated Juventus to lift the European Champion Clubs' Cup - Hamburg have looked more likely to suffer a first relegation than claim another trophy.

New hopes
Yet following the arrival of president Bernd Hoffmann and manager Dietmar Beiersdorfer in 2003, and Doll a year after, much has changed. Wise investments combined with tactical astuteness have reawakened hopes that the success achieved under European Cup-winning Ernst Happel can be emulated. Hamburg finished third in Doll's first full season and only Osasuna can stop them reaching the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time since 2000/01.

'Futuristic'
Kompany is duly excited. "This club has drive," he said. "The infrastructure is almost futuristic, and look at the players. They are young and quick - [Raphael] Wicky, [Khalid] Boulahrouz, [Mehdi] Mahdavikia. This team is young and ambitious." Kompany proved his own verve and hunger with a crowd-pleasing performance against Hertha, so much so that Doll is now trying to dampen expectations. "He knows we need him as an uncompromising central defender and he doesn't have to solve every situation with his skill," Doll said. With Kompany in the team, however, Hamburg are setting their sights high. "I don't want to sound arrogant but for a footballer it's natural to aim for the best," he said. "I want to be successful and get the title that the club have been waiting for more than 20 years - the German championship."

This is an abridged version of an article that appears in this week's edition of the uefa.com Magazine. To read the feature in full, click here.