Nigerian-born former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha has publicly accused his ex-teammate and current Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany of failing to invite him to his 2011 wedding — despite being the person who introduced Kompany to his wife in the first place.
Speaking on the In The Mixer podcast, Onuoha recounted how he first met Kompany during the Belgian’s stint at Hamburg and subsequently introduced him to his friend Carla Higgs while both men were in Manchester. What began as a casual introduction developed into a lasting relationship: Kompany signed for Manchester City, the pair got together, wed in 2011, and have since raised three children.
“I introduced him to his wife… We’ve been friends for years… Married, kids! Did I get invited to the wedding? No, I didn’t,” Onuoha said during the interview, before adding with a laugh: “He took everything from me!”
The comments were delivered in a humorous tone and have since circulated widely on social media, generating considerable amusement among football supporters. Kompany has not publicly responded to his former teammate’s account.
Onuoha and Kompany were teammates at Manchester City from 2008, when the former Belgium international joined the club, through to January 2012 when Onuoha departed permanently. The two were part of a City squad that ended a 35-year trophy drought by winning the FA Cup in 2011, though Onuoha did not receive a winner’s medal — he had spent the entire 2010–11 season on loan at Sunderland.
The following campaign brought further silverware to the Etihad, with City claiming the Premier League title in dramatic circumstances on the final day of the 2011–12 season. Onuoha, who had moved to Queens Park Rangers in January 2012, was actually on the pitch for QPR during that match — the celebrated “Agueroooo” game — playing against the very side he had left weeks earlier.
Born in Nigeria and raised in Manchester, Onuoha came through the City academy before making his senior debut as a teenager in 2004. He went on to make 95 Premier League appearances for the club across an eight-year association with the first team. A versatile defender capable of operating at centre-back, right-back, or left-back, he later made over 200 appearances for Queens Park Rangers, captained the club, and played a key role in their 2014 promotion back to the Premier League.
Since retiring from professional football, Onuoha has built a prominent media career. He joined ESPN as a lead studio pundit and analyst, became a regular contributor to BBC Radio 5 Live, and returned to his boyhood club as a community ambassador for the City in the Community organisation. He also hosts his own interview podcast and released a critically acclaimed autobiography in 2022. Onuoha married Lucy Onuoha in 2011 — the same year as Kompany’s wedding — and the couple have three children, including their eldest daughter Amaia, born in April 2014.
Kompany, meanwhile, is in the midst of a high-profile managerial tenure at Bayern Munich, with the Bundesliga giants reportedly on course for a potential quadruple this season. His rise to management has been swift: after guiding Burnley back to the Premier League, he was appointed at Bayern ahead of the 2024–25 campaign. The wedding snub, it appears, remains an unresolved footnote in an otherwise storied friendship.
