Vincent Kompany released from hospital after Munich scare

Good news out of Munich. Vincent Kompany was released from the hospital this Wednesday, five days after collapsing while watching a training session with Bayern's second team. It was a major scare, but the outcome, for now, has brought relief to the entire club.

Bayern sporting director Max Eberl confirmed the news in comments to German broadcaster ARD, just before the team went out and thrashed Magdeburg 6-1 in the German Cup at the Allianz Arena. According to Eberl, Kompany, 40, was diagnosed with meningeal irritation after being admitted to the hospital last Friday.

Can you imagine the anguish of watching your coach collapse in the middle of a training session? That's exactly what Bayern's coaching staff went through just a few days ago. Fortunately, Eberl himself moved quickly to ease the drama with a pretty straightforward message.

Under the circumstances, he's fine. He was released from the hospital. That's the best and biggest news for all of us. It's a meningeal irritation that caused Friday's incident. He'll now rest and take medication, and I'm sure he'll be back on the bench very soon, at a hundred percent.Max Eberl

Eberl had already warned on Friday that the Belgian coach's return, after he'd been dealing with a viral illness, would take "weeks, not days." So a full recovery still has a process to run, though being released from the hospital is, without question, the first big step.

In the meantime, life goes on out on the field. Kompany missed Bayern's 3-1 win at Freiburg in the Bundesliga, with assistant Aaron Danks running the team both in that match and in the rout of Magdeburg in the cup. Two matches, two convincing wins without their head coach on the bench, which at least takes some pressure off the locker room during the wait.

One detail that stood out amid all this: despite going through such a difficult moment, Kompany found time to call Harry Kane and wish him luck hours before the English striker won the Ballon d'Or in London on Monday night. Kane himself shared the story after receiving the award.

In the standings, Bayern remains on top of the Bundesliga, first on goal difference and tied on points with Borussia Dortmund, its next opponent this Saturday at home. A heavyweight clash that Kompany, hopefully, will be able to follow closely even if it's from outside the dugout while he completes his recovery.