Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has no regrets about turning down a move to Manchester United when he was a teenager.
Kompany, 29, signed for City from Hamburg in 2008 and has since made 199 Premier League starts for the club, helping them to two top-flight titles.
for City's meeting against United at Old Trafford on Sunday, a team he could have signed for when he was 17 years old, according to the .
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He said in the newspaper: "United asked about me, but I had other priorities at the time. I was studying for my A-levels and my mother made me finish my education before I could concentrate on football.
"But I've got to say that everything has played out perfectly for me in my career. It's a massive honour to be captain of this club and I can tell you that I feel really good.
"I have put my sweat and blood into Manchester City. I'm passionate about the club and I want success as much as the owners."
Kompany is optimistic of City's chances ahead of this weekend's derby, with the team having beaten their rivals in their last four meetings.
He added: "When I started playing for City, these games were 90-10 in United's favour. We knew every time we went to Old Trafford that history wasn't good for us there.
"It's different now. This game is about two big clubs facing each other. It's almost 50-50 -- and we all know what this game means."
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