Maxime Estève's first public message as an RB Leipzig player is clear enough. He says Vincent Kompany was a major influence on his development, and he will face Bayern München in a pre-season friendly on 15 August after completing his move to Leipzig this summer.

Kompany's influence on Estève

Estève played under Kompany in the second half of the 2023/24 Premier League season at Burnley, and he did not hide how much he valued that spell. Speaking to bundesliga.com, he said: "Kompany was very important to my development. I learnt a lot from him, particularly when it comes to defence. I have great respect for him."

He added: "He's very close to the players. I think that's very important. If, as a coach, you're close to your players, you can instil more confidence in them."

That is a fairly direct endorsement of Kompany's work, and it fits the way Leipzig have framed Estève's arrival. The move is already about more than a change of shirt. It is about a defender who sees value in the coaching he received and is now stepping into a club that expects more from him.

Leipzig's level and the early Bayern test

Estève also sounded comfortable with the size of the task at Leipzig. "RB Leipzig are a big club with big ambitions. I'm delighted to be able to play at such a high level – in the Bundesliga and in the Champions League," he said.

The scale is easy to see in the numbers from Leipzig's 2025 Bundesliga season. They finished third, won 20 of 34 matches and collected 65 points, with 66 goals scored and 47 conceded. This is not a stopover for a player easing into the next step. It is a squad that expects to compete, and Estève's line about fighting for his place matches that reality.

Leipzig begin their competitive campaign away to Eintracht Trier in the first round of the DFB Cup on 22 August, before hosting Borussia Mönchengladbach on Bundesliga Matchday 1. The 15 August meeting with Bayern is only a friendly, but it arrives early enough to give Estève a first look at the kind of pressure and standard he is joining.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →