Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has described himself as "by far the happiest footballer on earth" after playing a full 90 minutes of competitive football on Saturday.

The 30-year-old has been persistently troubled by injuries of late, but took part in his side's 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in the fourth round of FA Cup and completed the full match.

Kompany told the Man City website: "I'm by far the happiest footballer on earth. I've been working hard for this, waiting, waiting, waiting to get back into the team.

"Ninety minutes to play for this club means that much to me. Everything was there for me to perform well - a good hail storm, a few good challenges. I was happy with the performance.

"I haven't played for a long time, so it'd be silly to think I'm already at 100 per cent. I've so much experience - I wouldn't say the game is easy, but I know exactly what to do."

Kompany had previously not played any part for City since the Premier League meeting with Palace on November 19.