MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany says he will donate all money made from his testimonial season to help the homeless in the North West city.
Belgian Kompany, who joined City 10 years ago, has teamed up with Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to create Tackle4MCR and says money from his gala dinner and testimonial match will go to help those sleeping rough.
"I’ve received much from Manchester: a great career at the highest level, unconditional support from the fans through thick and thin, a lovely family and so much more to be grateful for," Kompany told the Manchester Evening News.
"Over the past decade I’ve been lucky to have witnessed and played a part in Manchester City’s rise as a club and a brand. This has also run parallel alongside the rise of a whole region.
"However, with this spectacular rise, comes a very visible downside: more and more people are left out of and have no access to the benefits of the rapid development, often leaving them no choice but to end up on the streets," he added.
All money raised will support Burnham's Homelessness Fund.
"In Greater Manchester we want to provide a bed for every rough sleeper every night of the week over this coming winter," Burnham said.
Kompany has helped City win three Premier League titles.
(Reporting by Simon Evans, editing by Ed Osmond)