Patrick Vieira
Encyclopedia
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City
.
He rose to prominence during his time at Arsenal
from 1996 to 2005, where he won three Premier League titles – one unbeaten – and four FA Cup
s, eventually becoming club captain. After leaving Arsenal in 2005, he spent one season at Juventus
before joining Internazionale in 2006, following Juventus' relegation for their part in a match-fixing scandal
. He has 107 caps
for France, and was part of their 1998 World Cup
and Euro 2000-winning sides.
In May 2010, Vieira was nominated Goodwill Ambassador
of the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations. He announced his retirement from professional football on 14 July 2011. Vieira is currently Football Development Executive at Manchester with a role to oversee aspects such as youth development, commercial partners and the club's social responsibility programme, "City in the Community".
to Dreux
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 grandfather served in the French Army, making him eligible for French nationality at birth. Vieira's mother is from Cape Verde
, which is actually her maiden name, a Portuguese surname. Vieira first played for Cannes
, where he made his debut at the age of 17 and captained the team aged just 19. In summer 1995, he was signed by Italian giants AC Milan
, though he played mainly in the reserves and made only two first-team appearances.
requested Vieira's purchase from Milan prior to taking up his position. Vieira was signed for £3.5 million, a figure which would be deemed a bargain in years to come. His height, stamina and physical strength allowed him to settle into the English game quickly, while his composure and the quality of his passing cemented his position as an integral part of Wenger's stylish attacking side. Forming a powerful midfield partnership with French compatriot Emmanuel Petit
, Vieira won the Premiership
and FA Cup
Double
in 1998, his first full season at the club. That summer, he was called up to France's 1998 World Cup squad.
Vieira's early years at Arsenal were beset by disciplinary problems. In the 2000–01 season, he was sent off twice in two consecutive matches (the opening matches of the season), though after returning he did not receive another card for 28 matches. In all, he has been sent off twelve times in his career: nine times with Arsenal and once each with Juventus, France and Internazionale.
Vieira would go on to win Euro 2000 with France, as well as a second Double with Arsenal in 2002. He also played in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final
. Arsenal lost the Final to Turkish
side Galatasaray
on penalties
, with Vieira missing his. After Tony Adams
's retirement in 2002, Vieira (already vice-captain) became club captain, since which his disciplinary problems cooled significantly. Though he missed Arsenal's 2003 FA Cup Final win with injury and therefore did not qualify for a winner's medal, Vieira lifted the trophy jointly with captain for the day David Seaman
.
In 2003–04
at Arsenal, he captained the side on an historic unbeaten season in the Premier League. At the beginning of this campaign he was in and out of the side because of a hamstring injury, with Ray Parlour
replacing him in the side. However, Vieira returned for the Champions League
match against Lokomotiv Moscow, with the Gunners winning 2–0 and qualifying for the 1st Knockout round.
, during which the club broke Nottingham Forest's record for the number of games unbeaten in the Premiership. Vieira made a solid start to the season but was not in sparkling form. Arsenal had passed the record and were 49 games unbeaten and were 1st with 25 points from a possible 27. They were 49 and out when they lost to Manchester United, Vieira's and Arsenal's form decreased with draws against relegation candidates Southampton, Crystal Palace and West Brom which saw them fall to 2nd.
Vieira scored his first goal of the season in a topsy-turvy North London derby
which Arsenal won 5–4. Vieira scored his second goal of the season in vain as Arsenal lost to a weakened Liverpool. Chelsea were starting to sail away with the title and Arsenal were struggling to keep up with Chelsea despite a creditable 2–2 draw with the league leaders. Arsenal then suffered a 2–0 defeat at the hands of Bolton before Manchester United
completed the double over Arsenal with a 4–2 win at Highbury
in which Vieira scored the opening goal. Before this game started, Vieira had a big confrontation with Manchester United captain Roy Keane
, in which Keane confronted him about an incident involving Gary Neville
. Arsenal fell to 3rd, but improved to take 2nd ahead of United. Arsenal also finished with impressive home wins against 5th place Liverpool and 4th place Everton with Vieira scoring against Everton in a massive 7–0 win.
Vieira scored in the 4th round
of the FA Cup 2004-05
in a 2–0 win against Wolves. In the 2005 FA Cup Final he scored the winning penalty in a penalty shoot-out
after a 0–0 draw with Manchester United
. Renewed speculation about Vieira's future emerged at the conclusion of the season, and the cup victory ultimately proved to be his final game for Arsenal.
In August 2008, Vieira was ranked the fifth-greatest Arsenal player of all-time in a fan poll conducted on the club's official website.
and Vieira agreed a five-year contract with the Serie A
side the following day. One of the reasons for his transfer was also the emergence of teenager Cesc Fàbregas
, who had played in place of Vieira when the latter was injured.
In total, Vieira played 407 times for Arsenal and scored 34 times. In his time at Arsenal, Vieira appeared in the PFA team of the year
six years in a row from the 1998–99 season
up to the 2003–04 season.
He returned to Arsenal for one game on 22 July 2006 in a testimonial
for Dennis Bergkamp
as one of the Arsenal legends against Ajax
legends. Despite his departure, Vieira has remained a favourite among Arsenal fans. An image of him sits alongside 14 other past and present Arsenal greats in "The Armoury", the club's shop at the Emirates Stadium
.
used Vieira in a midfield consisting of Brazil
ian Emerson
and Czech
Pavel Nedvěd
. He helped Juventus to record their best ever start to a league season. Despite his performances dipping as the result of a persistent groin injury and a reported training ground bust-up with team mate Zlatan Ibrahimović
, Vieira helped Juventus retain the Italian Championship (later stripped).
In a twist of fate, Vieira returned to Highbury on 28 March 2006 to play against Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Arsenal won 2–0 on aggregate, scoring twice in the first leg. Vieira received a yellow card
in the first leg match at Highbury and was suspended for the return leg on 5 April 2006. During the first leg he was the subject of a strong tackle by former club and national team mate Robert Pirès
. Vieira was left crestfallen as Pires regained possession and Arsenal attacked, scoring the first goal of the tie through Cesc Fàbregas. Pirès humorously quipped that it was the first time in 13 years he had got the better of Vieira physically.
. Juventus were relegated to Serie B
and deducted 17 points by the Italian Football Federation for their involvement, prompting many of the club's major stars to move elsewhere. After press speculation linking him to various clubs, including a move back to Arsenal, on 2 August 2006 Vieira officially signed a 4 year-deal for Internazionale
in a deal to be worth €9.5m, less than half the €20m fee Juventus had paid just 12 months prior. Vieira declared he wanted to continue to play at the highest level at the presentation conference, which is his reason to leave Juve.
In his first season at Inter, he added to his trophy cabinet the Italian Super Cup (scoring a brace in that game) as well as the 2006–07, 2007–08 and 2008–09 Serie A
titles. But due to injury, he failed to become one of the regular starter, Olivier Dacourt, initially a backup player, became Mancini's first choice. And since the club signed Sulley Muntari
and Thiago Motta
, Vieira became of lesser and lesser importance in the team.
In response to extensive media speculation regarding a possible return by Vieira to his former club in 2009, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger
admitted that he would contemplate re-signing Vieira. However the move never happened and Vieira remained at Inter. On 6 January Vieira unusually played as starter against Chievo
, which was his 8th league start of the season. Before the match Inter had lost Esteban Cambiasso
and Sulley Muntari
due to injury, Dejan Stanković
and Thiago Motta
suspended. José Mourinho
stated that Vieira had played his last game at Inter after the match.
and he would sign a six-month deal, where he would link up with former Arsenal
colleagues Kolo Touré
and Sylvinho
. The contract also included an option for a 12-month extension. Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini
described Vieira as an excellent midfielder with a winner's mentality and that he would fit into Manchester City's squad very well. He made his debut for Manchester City in the 2–1 defeat to Hull City
. Three days later he made his first start for City against Bolton where he assisted Emmanuel Adebayor
through a long ball in the 2–0 victory. He scored his first goal for the club against Burnley in their 6–1 win on 3 April 2010. On 9 June 2010, Vieira agreed to a one-year extension to his contract, which will keep him at Eastlands until the summer of 2011. On 11 September 2010, he started his first game in his second season for the club and went on to score the equalizing goal against Blackburn before being substituted in the 65th minute. On 18 January 2011, he scored his second goal of the season in Manchester City's 4–2 third round replay against Leicester City, this was his 50th appearance in the competition and the goal that he scored was the first goal he scored in the F.A Cup since he scored Arsenal's winning penalty in the 2005 F.A Cup Final against Manchester United. He continued his passion for the F.A. Cup by scoring the first two goals during their 5–0 win in the Fourth Round replay against Notts County
and was awarded Man of the Match honours. He was praised for how well he linked up with Aleksandar Kolarov
. Vieira also scored in the Barclays Premier League on the 3 April 2011 against Sunderland, having come on as a substitute for Adam Johnson
in the 66th Minute. He scored no less than a minute later having touched the ball into the goal.
He made a late substitute appearance in May 2011 as Manchester City won the FA Cup
with a 1–0 win over Stoke City at Wembley
.
in 1997 against the Netherlands
. 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 Emmanuel Petit
for France's third goal in a 3–0 win. He, with the rest of the squad, received Knight of Légion d'honneur
, France's highest decoration, in 1998.
He subsequently played as a first choice midfield player in France's successful campaign in 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 in the final against Japan. He also played in all three games in the FIFA World Cup 2002, in which France were eliminated in the group stage, failing to score a goal. He was injured and missed France's defeat to Greece
at Euro 2004.
Vieira was appointed France's national team captain on Zinédine Zidane
's retirement from international football. Nonetheless, he and veteran defender Lilian Thuram
were instrumental in convincing Zidane to end his retirement and help the flagging campaign to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
. Vieira even handed back the captaincy of the team to Zidane.
On 23 June 2006, his 30th birthday, Vieira took the captain's armband for the match in place of the suspended playmaker Zidane, whom he shared the birthday with, scoring the first goal when France
beat Togo
2–0 in the group stages of the FIFA World Cup 2006; Vieira set up Thierry Henry
for France's second. This win helped France advance to the knockout stages, coming second behind Switzerland
, and it prolonged Zidane's international career. In the round of sixteen, Vieira scored the second goal in France's 3–1 defeat of Spain
; France went on to beat favourites Brazil
1–0 in the quarter-finals, and Portugal
by the same score in the semi-finals, which gave them a place in the final against Italy. Vieira was one of the best midfielders at the tournament with a string of fine performances. Vieira started the final, but was substituted due to injury in the second half, likely sustained when he collided with Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro
. Italy won 5–3 on penalties after the game finished 1–1 after extra time. As of 23 November 2006 Vieira has appeared 100 times for France, scoring 6 goals.
On 5 August 2006 Vieira was reappointed captain of the French national team for the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. However, he played no part in the group games at Euro 2008 for a struggling France due to a niggling knee injury. His last cap with the national team was on 2 June 2009 in a friendly
match against Nigeria
.
He was not included by coach Raymond Domenech
in France's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
in South Africa, and after France's failed campaign effectively announced his international retirement by declaring that he would not make himself available to play under former team-mate and new French Manager Laurent Blanc
.
On 7 July 2010, Vieira confirmed again that he was no longer interested in playing for France and will devote his time to .
|1993/94||rowspan="3"|Cannes
||rowspan="3"|Division 1
||5||0||1||0||||||colspan="2"|-||6||0
|-
|1994/95||31||2||2||0||1||1||4||1||38||4
|-
|1995/96||13||0||||||||||4||0||17||0
|-
|1995/96||Milan
||Serie A
||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0||5||0
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="9"|Arsenal
||rowspan="9"|Premier League||31||2||3||0||3||0||1||0||38||2
|-
|1997/98||33||2||9||0||2||0||2||0||46||2
|-
|1998/99||34||3||5||1||1||0||3||0||43||4
|-
|1999/00||30||2||2||0||1||0||14||0||47||2
|-
|2000/01||30||6||6||1||||||12||0||48||7
|-
|2001/02||36||2||7||0||colspan="2"|-||11||1||54||3
|-
|2002/03||24||3||5||0||1||0||12||1||42||4
|-
|2003/04||29||3||5||0||3||0||7||0||44||3
|-
|2004/05||32||6||6||1||colspan="2"|-||6||0||44||7
|-
|2005/06||Juventus
||Serie A
||31||5||3||0||1||0||7||0||42||5
|-
|2006/07||rowspan="4"|Internazionale
||rowspan="4"|Serie A
||20||1||3||0||1||2||4||1||28||4
|-
|2007/08||16||3||3||0||1||0||3||0||23||3
|-
|2008/09||19||1||2||0||colspan="2"|-||3||0||24||1
|-
|2009/10||12||1||1||0||1||0||2||0||16||1
|-
|2009/10||rowspan="2"|Manchester City
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||13||1||1||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||14||1
|-
|2010/11||15||2||8||3||1||0||8||0||32||5
49||2||3||1||1||0||8||1||61||4
100||11||13||0||4||2||21||1||138||14
307||32||57||6||12||0||76||2||452||40
456||45||73||7||17||2||105||4||651||58
|-
|1997||5||0
|-
|1998||5||0
|-
|1999||8||0
|-
|2000||17||0
|-
|2001||13||2
|-
|2002||12||2
|-
|2003||5||0
|-
|2004||11||0
|-
|2005||7||0
|-
|2006||17||2
|-
|2007||4||0
|-
|2008||2||0
|-
|2009||1||0
|-
!Total||107||6
|}
Juventus
Internazionale
Manchester City
ian wife, Cheryl, first met in England while he was playing for Arsenal. He also has five cats. Vieira is also a keen dog lover and owns fifteen different breeds, he also owns eight hamsters and sixty nine fish.
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
.
He rose to prominence during his time at Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
from 1996 to 2005, where he won three Premier League titles – one unbeaten – and four FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
s, eventually becoming club captain. After leaving Arsenal in 2005, he spent one season at Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
before joining Internazionale in 2006, following Juventus' relegation for their part in a match-fixing scandal
2006 Serie A scandal
The 2006 Italian football scandal involved Italy's top professional football leagues, Serie A and Serie B...
. He has 107 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for France, and was part of their 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
and Euro 2000-winning sides.
In May 2010, Vieira was nominated Goodwill Ambassador
FAO Goodwill Ambassador
The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. The main purpose of the programme is to increase public awareness and to disseminate information on issues related to food security, hunger and poverty in the world...
of the Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
of the United Nations. He announced his retirement from professional football on 14 July 2011. Vieira is currently Football Development Executive at Manchester with a role to oversee aspects such as youth development, commercial partners and the club's social responsibility programme, "City in the Community".
Early career
Vieira's family moved from SenegalSenegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
to Dreux
Dreux
Dreux is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France.-History:Dreux was known in ancient times as Durocassium, the capital of the Durocasses Celtic tribe. Despite the legend, its name was not related with Druids. The Romans established here a fortified camp known as Castrum...
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 grandfather served in the French Army, making him eligible for French nationality at birth. Vieira's mother is from Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
, which is actually her maiden name, a Portuguese surname. Vieira first played for Cannes
AS Cannes
Association Sportive de Cannes Football is a French association football club based in Cannes. The club was formed 1902 as a sports club and currently play in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth division of French football. Cannes plays its home matches at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin...
, where he made his debut at the age of 17 and captained the team aged just 19. In summer 1995, he was signed by Italian giants AC Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
, though he played mainly in the reserves and made only two first-team appearances.
Arsenal
In September 1996, the incoming Arsenal manager Arsène WengerArsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
requested Vieira's purchase from Milan prior to taking up his position. Vieira was signed for £3.5 million, a figure which would be deemed a bargain in years to come. His height, stamina and physical strength allowed him to settle into the English game quickly, while his composure and the quality of his passing cemented his position as an integral part of Wenger's stylish attacking side. Forming a powerful midfield partnership with French compatriot Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel "Manu" Laurent Petit is a retired French footballer, who played his club football for Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea...
, Vieira won the Premiership
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
and FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
Double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
in 1998, his first full season at the club. That summer, he was called up to France's 1998 World Cup squad.
Vieira's early years at Arsenal were beset by disciplinary problems. In the 2000–01 season, he was sent off twice in two consecutive matches (the opening matches of the season), though after returning he did not receive another card for 28 matches. In all, he has been sent off twelve times in his career: nine times with Arsenal and once each with Juventus, France and Internazionale.
2000 UEFA Cup Final
The 2000 UEFA Cup Final was a football match contested between Galatasaray of Turkey and Arsenal of England on 17 May 2000 at Parken in Copenhagen...
. Arsenal lost the Final to Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
side Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
on penalties
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
, with Vieira missing his. After Tony Adams
Tony Adams (footballer)
Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...
's retirement in 2002, Vieira (already vice-captain) became club captain, since which his disciplinary problems cooled significantly. Though he missed Arsenal's 2003 FA Cup Final win with injury and therefore did not qualify for a winner's medal, Vieira lifted the trophy jointly with captain for the day David Seaman
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman MBE is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury...
.
In 2003–04
FA Premier League 2003-04
The 2003–04 FA Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Premier League. In the end, Arsenal went through the season without a single defeat – only the second ever team to do so and were crowned champions once more, at the expense of Chelsea, who had spent heavily throughout the...
at Arsenal, he captained the side on an historic unbeaten season in the Premier League. At the beginning of this campaign he was in and out of the side because of a hamstring injury, with Ray Parlour
Ray Parlour
Raymond "Ray" Parlour , is a retired English footballer. He spent his career playing for Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Hull City. During his Arsenal career he was nicknamed "The Romford Pelé"; although the nickname was given with an ironic sense of humour, on account of his solid performance but...
replacing him in the side. However, Vieira returned for the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
match against Lokomotiv Moscow, with the Gunners winning 2–0 and qualifying for the 1st Knockout round.
2004–05 season and Madrid speculation
Following Real's unsuccessful approach, Vieira remained Arsenal's captain for the 2004–05 season2004-05 in English football
The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League...
, during which the club broke Nottingham Forest's record for the number of games unbeaten in the Premiership. Vieira made a solid start to the season but was not in sparkling form. Arsenal had passed the record and were 49 games unbeaten and were 1st with 25 points from a possible 27. They were 49 and out when they lost to Manchester United, Vieira's and Arsenal's form decreased with draws against relegation candidates Southampton, Crystal Palace and West Brom which saw them fall to 2nd.
Vieira scored his first goal of the season in a topsy-turvy North London derby
North London derby
The North London derby is the name of the football local derby between the two major teams in North London – Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.-History:...
which Arsenal won 5–4. Vieira scored his second goal of the season in vain as Arsenal lost to a weakened Liverpool. Chelsea were starting to sail away with the title and Arsenal were struggling to keep up with Chelsea despite a creditable 2–2 draw with the league leaders. Arsenal then suffered a 2–0 defeat at the hands of Bolton before Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
completed the double over Arsenal with a 4–2 win at Highbury
Highbury
- Early Highbury :The area now known as Islington was part of the larger manor of Tolentone, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Tolentone was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Road. The manor house was situated by what is now...
in which Vieira scored the opening goal. Before this game started, Vieira had a big confrontation with Manchester United captain Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
, in which Keane confronted him about an incident involving Gary Neville
Gary Neville
Gary Alexander Neville is a former English footballer. He is England's most capped right-back and was Manchester United's club captain for five years....
. Arsenal fell to 3rd, but improved to take 2nd ahead of United. Arsenal also finished with impressive home wins against 5th place Liverpool and 4th place Everton with Vieira scoring against Everton in a massive 7–0 win.
Vieira scored in the 4th round
FA Cup 2004-05
The FA Cup 2004–05 was the 124th season of the world's oldest football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup.The competition began on 28 August 2004, with the lowest-ranked of the entrants competing in the Extra Preliminary Round...
of the FA Cup 2004-05
FA Cup 2004-05
The FA Cup 2004–05 was the 124th season of the world's oldest football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup.The competition began on 28 August 2004, with the lowest-ranked of the entrants competing in the Extra Preliminary Round...
in a 2–0 win against Wolves. In the 2005 FA Cup Final he scored the winning penalty in a penalty shoot-out
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
after a 0–0 draw with Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. Renewed speculation about Vieira's future emerged at the conclusion of the season, and the cup victory ultimately proved to be his final game for Arsenal.
In August 2008, Vieira was ranked the fifth-greatest Arsenal player of all-time in a fan poll conducted on the club's official website.
Exit from Arsenal
On 14 July 2005, Arsenal accepted a bid of €20 million from Italian giants JuventusJuventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
and Vieira agreed a five-year contract with the Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
side the following day. One of the reasons for his transfer was also the emergence of teenager Cesc Fàbregas
Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
, who had played in place of Vieira when the latter was injured.
In total, Vieira played 407 times for Arsenal and scored 34 times. In his time at Arsenal, Vieira appeared in the PFA team of the year
PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year is an annual award given to a set of 44 footballers in the top four tiers of English football; the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two, whom are seen to be deserving of being named in a "Team of the Year".The award...
six years in a row from the 1998–99 season
FA Premier League 1998-99
The 1998–99 FA Premier League season was the seventh season of the Premier League, the top division of English football, since its establishment in 1992. The season will always be remembered as the one in which Manchester United won a unique treble of the league title, the FA Cup and the European Cup...
up to the 2003–04 season.
He returned to Arsenal for one game on 22 July 2006 in a testimonial
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
for Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level...
as one of the Arsenal legends against Ajax
Ajax Amsterdam
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax , also referred to as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam or simply Ajax , is a professional football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands...
legends. Despite his departure, Vieira has remained a favourite among Arsenal fans. An image of him sits alongside 14 other past and present Arsenal greats in "The Armoury", the club's shop at the Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...
.
Juventus
After Vieira's move to Juventus, then-Juventus manager Fabio CapelloFabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...
used Vieira in a midfield consisting of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian Emerson
Emerson Ferreira da Rosa
Émerson Ferreira da Rosa , simply known as Emerson, is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a midfielder. He had 73 caps for Brazil from 1997 to 2006.-Grêmio:...
and Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
Pavel Nedvěd
Pavel Nedved
Pavel Nedvěd is a retired Czech football midfielder. He is one of the most successful Czech players to emerge from the newly formed Czech Republic, winning numerous accolades with Lazio and Juventus, including the last ever Cup Winners' Cup...
. He helped Juventus to record their best ever start to a league season. Despite his performances dipping as the result of a persistent groin injury and a reported training ground bust-up with team mate Zlatan Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Milan and the Swedish national team for which he is captain....
, Vieira helped Juventus retain the Italian Championship (later stripped).
In a twist of fate, Vieira returned to Highbury on 28 March 2006 to play against Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Arsenal won 2–0 on aggregate, scoring twice in the first leg. Vieira received a yellow card
Misconduct (football)
Misconduct in association football is any conduct by a player that is deemed by the referee to warrant a disciplinary sanction in accordance with Law 12 of the Laws of the Game. Misconduct may occur at any time, including when the ball is out of play, during half-time and before and after the...
in the first leg match at Highbury and was suspended for the return leg on 5 April 2006. During the first leg he was the subject of a strong tackle by former club and national team mate Robert Pirès
Robert Pirès
Robert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04...
. Vieira was left crestfallen as Pires regained possession and Arsenal attacked, scoring the first goal of the tie through Cesc Fàbregas. Pirès humorously quipped that it was the first time in 13 years he had got the better of Vieira physically.
Internazionale
Juventus were stripped of their 2004–05 and 2005–06 titles after it was revealed they were involved in a match-fixing scandal2006 Serie A scandal
The 2006 Italian football scandal involved Italy's top professional football leagues, Serie A and Serie B...
. Juventus were relegated to Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
and deducted 17 points by the Italian Football Federation for their involvement, prompting many of the club's major stars to move elsewhere. After press speculation linking him to various clubs, including a move back to Arsenal, on 2 August 2006 Vieira officially signed a 4 year-deal for Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
in a deal to be worth €9.5m, less than half the €20m fee Juventus had paid just 12 months prior. Vieira declared he wanted to continue to play at the highest level at the presentation conference, which is his reason to leave Juve.
In his first season at Inter, he added to his trophy cabinet the Italian Super Cup (scoring a brace in that game) as well as the 2006–07, 2007–08 and 2008–09 Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
titles. But due to injury, he failed to become one of the regular starter, Olivier Dacourt, initially a backup player, became Mancini's first choice. And since the club signed Sulley Muntari
Sulley Muntari
Sulleyman Ali "Sulley" Muntari is a Ghanaian international footballer who currently plays as a central midfielder for Serie A club Inter Milan in Italy. He has 66 caps for The Black Stars of Ghana.-Early career:...
and Thiago Motta
Thiago Motta
Thiago Motta Santon Olivares , known as Thiago Motta, is a Brazilian-born Italian footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serie A club Internazionale....
, Vieira became of lesser and lesser importance in the team.
In response to extensive media speculation regarding a possible return by Vieira to his former club in 2009, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
admitted that he would contemplate re-signing Vieira. However the move never happened and Vieira remained at Inter. On 6 January Vieira unusually played as starter against Chievo
A.C. ChievoVerona
Associazione Calcio Chievo Verona is a professional Italian football club named after and based in Chievo, a suburb of 2,800 inhabitants in Verona, Veneto, and owned by Paluani, a cake company and the inspiration for their original name, Paluani Chievo...
, which was his 8th league start of the season. Before the match Inter had lost Esteban Cambiasso
Esteban Cambiasso
Esteban Matías Cambiasso Deleau , nicknamed "Cuchu" , is an Argentine football midfielder who plays for Italian Serie A club Internazionale....
and Sulley Muntari
Sulley Muntari
Sulleyman Ali "Sulley" Muntari is a Ghanaian international footballer who currently plays as a central midfielder for Serie A club Inter Milan in Italy. He has 66 caps for The Black Stars of Ghana.-Early career:...
due to injury, Dejan Stanković
Dejan Stankovic
Dejan Stanković is a Serbian association football player who plays for the Italian Serie A side Inter. He captained the Serbian national football team until 2011, when he announced his retirement from international football...
and Thiago Motta
Thiago Motta
Thiago Motta Santon Olivares , known as Thiago Motta, is a Brazilian-born Italian footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serie A club Internazionale....
suspended. José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
stated that Vieira had played his last game at Inter after the match.
Manchester City
On 8 January 2010, it was confirmed that Vieira was having a medical at Manchester CityManchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
and he would sign a six-month deal, where he would link up with former Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
colleagues Kolo Touré
Kolo Touré
Kolo Habib Touré is an Ivorian footballer who plays for Manchester City and Ivory Coast. Touré is a central defender. He is the elder brother of Manchester City team-mate Yaya Touré and Makasa's Ibrahim Touré.-Arsenal:...
and Sylvinho
Sylvinho
Sylvio Mendes Campos Junior , commonly known as Sylvinho is a retired Brazilian footballer, who played for Corinthians, Arsenal, Celta Vigo, FC Barcelona and Manchester City...
. The contract also included an option for a 12-month extension. Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini is an Italian football manager, formerly an international player and current manager of Premier League club Manchester City.As a player Mancini was best known for his time at Sampdoria, where he played more than 550 matches, and helped them win the Serie A league title, four Coppa...
described Vieira as an excellent midfielder with a winner's mentality and that he would fit into Manchester City's squad very well. He made his debut for Manchester City in the 2–1 defeat to Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
. Three days later he made his first start for City against Bolton where he assisted Emmanuel Adebayor
Emmanuel Adebayor
Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor is a Togolese footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur as a striker on loan from Manchester City. He plays in the same position for the Togo national team. Adebayor previously played for Metz, Monaco and Arsenal and was voted African Footballer of the Year for 2008...
through a long ball in the 2–0 victory. He scored his first goal for the club against Burnley in their 6–1 win on 3 April 2010. On 9 June 2010, Vieira agreed to a one-year extension to his contract, which will keep him at Eastlands until the summer of 2011. On 11 September 2010, he started his first game in his second season for the club and went on to score the equalizing goal against Blackburn before being substituted in the 65th minute. On 18 January 2011, he scored his second goal of the season in Manchester City's 4–2 third round replay against Leicester City, this was his 50th appearance in the competition and the goal that he scored was the first goal he scored in the F.A Cup since he scored Arsenal's winning penalty in the 2005 F.A Cup Final against Manchester United. He continued his passion for the F.A. Cup by scoring the first two goals during their 5–0 win in the Fourth Round replay against Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
and was awarded Man of the Match honours. He was praised for how well he linked up with Aleksandar Kolarov
Aleksandar Kolarov
Aleksandar Kolarov is a professional association footballer playing for Premier League side Manchester City and the Serbian national team....
. Vieira also scored in the Barclays Premier League on the 3 April 2011 against Sunderland, having come on as a substitute for Adam Johnson
Adam Johnson
Adam Johnson is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Manchester City as a winger. A product of the Middlesbrough youth academy, he came to prominence after making his debut aged seventeen in a UEFA Cup game. He played 119 games for Middlesbrough, having also played on loan with...
in the 66th Minute. He scored no less than a minute later having touched the ball into the goal.
He made a late substitute appearance in May 2011 as Manchester City won the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
with a 1–0 win over Stoke City at Wembley
Wembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
.
Retirement
On 14 July 2011, Vieira announced his retirement from playing and accepted a training and youth development role at Manchester City with the title of Football Development Executive.International career
Vieira chose to make his debut for FranceFrance national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
in 1997 against the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
. He was part of the France squad in the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
. He came on as a substitute in the final against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, and set up Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel "Manu" Laurent Petit is a retired French footballer, who played his club football for Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea...
for France's third goal in a 3–0 win. He, with the rest of the squad, received Knight of Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, France's highest decoration, in 1998.
He subsequently played as a first choice midfield player in France's successful campaign in Euro 2000, which they won, beating Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
in the final. He helped France to victory in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup
2001 FIFA Confederations Cup
-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Awards:-Top scorers:2 goals Shaun Murphy Éric Carrière Robert Pirès Patrick Vieira Sylvain Wiltord Takayuki Suzuki Hwang Sun-Hong...
, ending the tournament as joint top scorer with two goals, including the winner in the final against Japan. He also played in all three games in the FIFA World Cup 2002, in which France were eliminated in the group stage, failing to score a goal. He was injured and missed France's defeat to Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
at Euro 2004.
Vieira was appointed France's national team captain on Zinédine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
's retirement from international football. Nonetheless, he and veteran defender Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram is a retired professional football defender and is the most capped player in the history of the France national team, and one of the twenty most capped players of all time.He played at the top flight in France, Italy and Spain for over 15 seasons, including ten in the Serie A with both...
were instrumental in convincing Zidane to end his retirement and help the flagging campaign to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. Vieira even handed back the captaincy of the team to Zidane.
On 23 June 2006, his 30th birthday, Vieira took the captain's armband for the match in place of the suspended playmaker Zidane, whom he shared the birthday with, scoring the first goal when France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
beat Togo
Togo national football team
The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus...
2–0 in the group stages of the FIFA World Cup 2006; Vieira set up Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
for France's second. This win helped France advance to the knockout stages, coming second behind Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
, and it prolonged Zidane's international career. In the round of sixteen, Vieira scored the second goal in France's 3–1 defeat of Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
; France went on to beat favourites Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
1–0 in the quarter-finals, and Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
by the same score in the semi-finals, which gave them a place in the final against Italy. Vieira was one of the best midfielders at the tournament with a string of fine performances. Vieira started the final, but was substituted due to injury in the second half, likely sustained when he collided with Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro
Fabio Cannavaro
Fabio Cannavaro, Ufficiale OMRI is a former Italian footballer considered one of the greatest defenders of all time and was given the name "Muro di Berlino" which means The Berlin wall by Italian supporters. He spent the majority of his career in Italy...
. Italy won 5–3 on penalties after the game finished 1–1 after extra time. As of 23 November 2006 Vieira has appeared 100 times for France, scoring 6 goals.
On 5 August 2006 Vieira was reappointed captain of the French national team for the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. However, he played no part in the group games at Euro 2008 for a struggling France due to a niggling knee injury. His last cap with the national team was on 2 June 2009 in a friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
match against Nigeria
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
.
He was not included by coach Raymond Domenech
Raymond Domenech
Raymond Domenech is a retired French footballer and the former manager of the France national team.-2006 World Cup:On 12 July 2004, Domenech was a surprise choice to succeed Jacques Santini after the country's disappointing exit from UEFA Euro 2004 by losing in the quarter-final match to the...
in France's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in South Africa, and after France's failed campaign effectively announced his international retirement by declaring that he would not make himself available to play under former team-mate and new French Manager Laurent Blanc
Laurent Blanc
Laurent Robert Blanc is a French association football manager and former player. He is the head coach of the French national team, having replaced Raymond Domenech in the wake of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He was previously the manager of Bordeaux...
.
On 7 July 2010, Vieira confirmed again that he was no longer interested in playing for France and will devote his time to .
Career statistics
|-|1993/94||rowspan="3"|Cannes
AS Cannes
Association Sportive de Cannes Football is a French association football club based in Cannes. The club was formed 1902 as a sports club and currently play in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth division of French football. Cannes plays its home matches at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin...
||rowspan="3"|Division 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||5||0||1||0||||||colspan="2"|-||6||0
|-
|1994/95||31||2||2||0||1||1||4||1||38||4
|-
|1995/96||13||0||||||||||4||0||17||0
|-
|1995/96||Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
||Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0||5||0
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="9"|Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
||rowspan="9"|Premier League||31||2||3||0||3||0||1||0||38||2
|-
|1997/98||33||2||9||0||2||0||2||0||46||2
|-
|1998/99||34||3||5||1||1||0||3||0||43||4
|-
|1999/00||30||2||2||0||1||0||14||0||47||2
|-
|2000/01||30||6||6||1||||||12||0||48||7
|-
|2001/02||36||2||7||0||colspan="2"|-||11||1||54||3
|-
|2002/03||24||3||5||0||1||0||12||1||42||4
|-
|2003/04||29||3||5||0||3||0||7||0||44||3
|-
|2004/05||32||6||6||1||colspan="2"|-||6||0||44||7
|-
|2005/06||Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
||Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||31||5||3||0||1||0||7||0||42||5
|-
|2006/07||rowspan="4"|Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
||rowspan="4"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||20||1||3||0||1||2||4||1||28||4
|-
|2007/08||16||3||3||0||1||0||3||0||23||3
|-
|2008/09||19||1||2||0||colspan="2"|-||3||0||24||1
|-
|2009/10||12||1||1||0||1||0||2||0||16||1
|-
|2009/10||rowspan="2"|Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||13||1||1||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||14||1
|-
|2010/11||15||2||8||3||1||0||8||0||32||5
49||2||3||1||1||0||8||1||61||4
100||11||13||0||4||2||21||1||138||14
307||32||57||6||12||0||76||2||452||40
456||45||73||7||17||2||105||4||651||58
- In League Cup, including Charity Shield and Supercoppa Italiana
|-
|1997||5||0
|-
|1998||5||0
|-
|1999||8||0
|-
|2000||17||0
|-
|2001||13||2
|-
|2002||12||2
|-
|2003||5||0
|-
|2004||11||0
|-
|2005||7||0
|-
|2006||17||2
|-
|2007||4||0
|-
|2008||2||0
|-
|2009||1||0
|-
!Total||107||6
|}
Club
Arsenal- Premier League: 1997–98, 2001–02, 2003–04
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
: 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05 - FA Community ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
: 19981998 FA Charity ShieldThe 1998 FA Charity Shield was the 76th FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions. The match was played contested by Arsenal, who won the league and cup Double the previous season, and Manchester United,...
, 19991999 FA Charity ShieldThe 1999 FA Charity Shield was a football match held on 1 August 1999 at Wembley Stadium. The teams involved were Manchester United, who had won the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League the previous season, and Arsenal, who had finished as runners-up to United in the league. Arsenal won...
, 20022002 FA Community ShieldThe 2002 FA Community Shield was a football match played on 11 August 2002 between 2001-02 Double winners Arsenal and 2001-02 Premier League runners-up Liverpool. Arsenal won the game 1–0 in normal time. Gilberto Silva scored the only goal of the game in the 69th minute...
, 20042004 FA Community ShieldThe 2004 FA Community Shield was the 82nd FA Community Shield, a football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions...
Juventus
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 2005–06 Serie A (Later stripped)
Internazionale
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–102009–10 Serie AThe 2009–10 Serie A was the seventy-eighth season since its establishment. There were three promoted teams from the Serie B, replacing the three teams that were relegated following the 2008–09 season. Nike provided a new match ball - the T90 Ascente - for this season... - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
: 20062006 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2006 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by the 2005-06 winners Internazionale and the 2005-06 Coppa Italia runners-up Roma. The Coppa Italia runners-up were chosen to play instead of the winners because of the aftermath of the 2006 Serie A match-fixing scandal...
, 20082008 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2008 Supercoppa Italiana is a football match that was played by Serie A 2007-08 winners Internazionale and Coppa Italia 2007-08 winners Roma. The match proved to be a tightly contested affair. After exchanging goals, it appeared that Inter was on its way to victory on Mario Balotelli's goal... - Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 2011
Manchester City
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
: 2010–112010–11 FA CupThe 2010–11 FA Cup was the 130th season of the world's oldest association football knock-out competition; The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short...
International
FranceFrance national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
- FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
: 19981998 FIFA World CupThe 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... - UEFA European Championship: 2000UEFA Euro 2000 FinalThe final of UEFA Euro 2000 was a football match played on 2 July 2000 at Feijenoord Stadion in Rotterdam, Netherlands, to determine the winner of UEFA Euro 2000...
- FIFA Confederations CupFIFA Confederations CupThe FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
: 20012001 FIFA Confederations Cup-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Awards:-Top scorers:2 goals Shaun Murphy Éric Carrière Robert Pirès Patrick Vieira Sylvain Wiltord Takayuki Suzuki Hwang Sun-Hong...
Individual
- UEFA Football Championship Team of the Tournament: 2000
- 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup2001 FIFA Confederations Cup-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Awards:-Top scorers:2 goals Shaun Murphy Éric Carrière Robert Pirès Patrick Vieira Sylvain Wiltord Takayuki Suzuki Hwang Sun-Hong...
: Top Scorer - FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2006
- PFA Team of the YearPFA Team of the YearThe Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year is an annual award given to a set of 44 footballers in the top four tiers of English football; the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two, whom are seen to be deserving of being named in a "Team of the Year".The award...
: 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04 - UEFA Team of the YearUEFA Team of the YearThe UEFA Team of the Year is a football award given by UEFA through a poll on its . This award started in 2001 to allow users and visitors of the organization's website to choose their own eleven players and a coach based on their overall performances in European club football and international...
: 2001 - French Player of the YearFrance FootballFrance Football is a French bi-weekly magazine containing football news from all over the world. It's one of the most reputable sports publications in Europe, mostly because of their photographic reports and accurate statistics of the big European Cup matches, and extensive coverage of the European...
: 2001 - Overall Team of the Decade – Premier League 10 Seasons AwardsPremier League 10 Seasons AwardsThe Premier League 10 Seasons Awards were a set of English football awards which marked the first 10 years of competition in the Premier League, the top-level domestic league competition of professional football in England...
(1992–93 – 2001–02) - FIFA 100FIFA 100The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
Personal life
Vieira and his TrinidadTrinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
ian wife, Cheryl, first met in England while he was playing for Arsenal. He also has five cats. Vieira is also a keen dog lover and owns fifteen different breeds, he also owns eight hamsters and sixty nine fish.