Sunday 6 May 2018 17:41, UK
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany says their latest Premier League title triumph was "worth every single minute in the gym" after overcoming his injury problems.
The defender lifted his third Premier League trophy on Sunday following a 0-0 draw with Huddersfield, having struggled in recent years with injuries that have limited his game time.
But Kompany says he never gave up hope of another title victory even during his spells on the sidelines, and regards the scenes at the Etihad as worth the time he spent in rehab.
"No, I didn't doubt it for one second. I knew from the first moment of any injury I've had in the past, this moment can still come and you want to be a part of it," he told Sky Sports.
"I read an interview with one of my team-mates recently and he said he admired that 24 hours after any injury, I'm always so positive again and that meant so much.
"That's how I'm always going to be in my life so this is worth every single minute in the gym."
City wrapped up the Premier League title three weeks ago but had to wait to get their hands on the trophy, and Kompany believes this most recent success differs from the others.
"It feels different. In this game, we were trying to score the extra goal, it was important for us but the very first year, in the 90th minute we still needed to score two goals so that was a bit different," he added.
"But with these celebrations, this team deserves it more than ever. I'm absolutely buzzing for them.
"I don't think you can underestimate the impact of the gaffer. He has been massive and the team has been so willing to learn and implement his plan every week.
"We've had many players who have been on and off, and that has had no impact on the season whatsoever. It shows the depth is good and the coaching staff are doing a great job."