Patrick Vieira

Early career

Vieira first played for Tours U19 in the early 1990s, before moving to Cannes, where he made his debut at the age of 17, in 1993, and captained the team at just 19 years old. In the summer of 1995, he was signed by Italian Serie A club AC Milan, although he made just five first-team appearances for the club.

Arsenal

First season (1996–97)

On 10 August 1996, the Daily Mirror reported that Vieira was subject to a move to English club Arsenal, given personal terms with original suitors Ajax were not reached. He joined Arsenal four days later in a £3.5 million move. The peculiarity of Vieira and fellow Frenchman Rémi Garde arriving at the club, coupled with manager Bruce Rioch's dismissal before the season had begun, suggested that Arsenal was managed by exterior influence. Vieira later revealed he signed for Arsenal because his compatriot Arsène Wenger was going to be the club's next manager: "I am delighted to be joining Arsenal at the same time as Mr Wenger becomes their coach. Being able to speak French to him will make life a lot easier for me." Wenger was officially in command of managerial affairs at Arsenal by the start of October, but Vieira had already made his mark, coming on as a substitute against Sheffield Wednesday on 16 September 1996; The Times described him as a "thinking man's Carlton Palmer … who, at last, gives the Arsenal midfield some variety."

Vieira made his full debut against Middlesbrough at the Riverside…

Vieira made his debut for France in 1997 against the Netherlands. Altogether, he won 107 caps for France, scoring six goals. He was part of the France squad in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He came on as a substitute in the final against Brazil, and set up Arsenal teammate Emmanuel Petit for France's third goal in a 3–0 win. He, with the rest of the squad, was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1998. He subsequently played as a first choice midfield player in France's successful campaign at UEFA Euro 2000, which they won, beating Italy in the final. He helped France to victory in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, ending the tournament as joint top scorer with two goals, including the winner, a header, in the final against Japan. He also played in all three games in the 2002 World Cup, in which France were eliminated in the group stage, failing to score a goal. Vieira was injured and missed France's defeat to Greece, the eventual winners, at Euro 2004. After the tournament in Portugal, he became captain upon Zinedine Zidane's retirement from international football. In August 2005, he returned the armband as Zidane returned to the team. On 23 June 2006, his 30th birthday, Vieira took the captain's armband for the match in place of the suspended Zidane, and scored the first goal as France beat Togo 2–0 in the group stages of the 2006 World Cup; he also assisted Thierry Henry for the second. This win helped France advance to the knockout stages in second behind…

Regarded by pundits as one of the best players ever in his position, Vieira was a complete, powerful, tenacious and aggressive footballer, with outstanding physical, athletic and technical attributes, who was also known for his grace on the pitch when in possession of the ball. Usually deployed as a defensive, central or box-to-box midfielder, he was a competent tackler and a tactically intelligent midfielder, who was known for his ability to anticipate his opponents, and was gifted with good ball skills, distribution and vision, which enabled him to start attacking plays in midfield after winning back possession; he also excelled in the air, and was known for his surging forward runs from midfield, which enabled him to contribute to his team's offensive play. These attributes, in addition to his pace, strength, pressing ability and stamina allowed him to link up the defence with the attack effectively, and made him capable of playing anywhere in midfield. In 2007, The Times placed him at number 33 in their list of the fifty hardest footballers in history. In addition to his abilities as a footballer, he also stood out for his leadership throughout his career.

He started his career playing for Botafogo and Palmeiras, before having a loan spell in Japan with Yokohama FC. He later returned to Brazil to play for Náutico, São Bernardo, Londrina and Santa Cruz. Later on, he transferred to Saudi club Najran, before joining Egyptian club Ismaily in October 2020.

Patrick Paul Vieira was born on 23 June 1976 in Dakar, Senegal. Vieira's family moved to Dreux, France, when he was eight, and he did not return to Senegal until 2003. His parents divorced when Vieira was young, and he never met his father again. His French citizenship was conferred on him at birth as his grandfather served in the French Army. His surname Vieira, which is Portuguese, is the maiden name of his mother, who is from Cape Verde.