Patrick Paul Vieira (; born 23 June 1976) is a professional football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of Serie A club Genoa CFC. Widely regarded as among the best players of his generation and one of the greatest of all time, he was named in the FIFA 100 of the greatest living footballers in 2004.
Vieira began his playing career at AS Cannes, where several standout performances garnered him a move to Serie A club AC Milan. In 1996, he relocated to England to join fellow countryman Arsène Wenger at Arsenal for a fee of £3.5 million. During his nine-year stint in the Premier League, Vieira established himself as a dominating Box-to-box, noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play, an attitude that also helped him excel as captain of the club from 2002 until his departure in 2005. He helped Arsenal achieve a sustained period of success during his time at the club, where he lifted four and three league titles, including one unbeaten. He was named in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year for six consecutive years from 1999 to 2004. He returned to Italy, playing for Juventus, but quickly departed after the club was relegated as punishment for its part in the Calciopoli scandal. He then signed for Inter Milan, where he consecutively won four league titles, before featuring for Manchester City, where he won another FA Cup, before retiring in 2011.
Vieira featured at senior level for much of his international career, representing France over a period of twelve years, where he also spent some time as captain. He played in the final in his nation's victorious campaign at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and featured heavily as the team also won UEFA Euro 2000. He also appeared for France at the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004, in the side that finished runners-up in the 2006 World Cup, and at Euro 2008, before retiring from international competition in 2010, having made 107 appearances for the side.
Following retirement, Vieira transitioned into coaching and took charge of the academy at Manchester City in 2013. He departed two years later to become manager of Major League Soccer club New York City FC. He subsequently managed Ligue 1 club OGC Nice between 2018 and 2020, Premier League side Crystal Palace between 2021 and 2023, and Ligue 1 club Strasbourg between 2023 and 2024. In 2024, he became manager of Italian club Genoa CFC but was sacked in October 2025 with the club bottom of the table.
Vieira made his full debut against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium, three days after. He scored his first goal for the club against Derby County on 8 December 1996 – a late equaliser in a 2–2 draw. His performances for Arsenal in the subsequent months made him a fans' favourite and was lauded as "the playmaker Arsenal have sought since Paul Davis pulled the strings in the 1991 championship-winning team". Davis himself noted that in the matches Vieira was suspended during the Christmas period, Arsenal struggled to win. He ended his first season with 38 appearances in total and Arsenal finished in third place, missing out on a spot in the UEFA Champions League via goal difference.
Against West Ham United on 2 October 1999, Vieira was sent off for a second booking, after fouling striker Paolo Di Canio. Moments after, he spat at Neil Ruddock, who walked into him and was dragged off the pitch by officials. Vieira was subsequently charged, banned for six matches and fined a record £45,000 by The Football Association. The season ended in disappointment for both Vieira and Arsenal, as the team finished 18 points behind champions Manchester United, in second place. Arsenal reached the 2000 UEFA Cup Final, in which Vieira played. but the team lost the match on penalties against Galatasaray; Vieira's spot kick hit the post.
Disciplinary problems continued to beset Vieira in the 2000–01 season. He was sent off on the opening day against Sunderland, and for the second time in 72 hours at home to Liverpool. Vieira scored two goals, the following match against Charlton Athletic, in what was his final appearance before a five-match suspension. It was feared that Vieira was prepared to turn his back on English football, as he felt victimised – Wenger, several Arsenal players and fans supported him publicly. After the ban, Vieira himself expressed his desire to remain at Arsenal but noted he could never alter his style of play "because, basically, I don't want to change. I really enjoy English football and the life in England. I am happy here."
After a group stage match against Lazio in October 2000, Vieira claimed he was the target of racial abuse from Siniša Mihajlović, which UEFA subsequently launched an investigation into. Mihajlović later admitted he made reference to Vieira's ethnicity, but added that he was provoked. The player was then handed a two-match ban for "unsporting actions". Given Arsenal that finished behind Manchester United in the league for a third consecutive season, Vieira was reluctant to commit himself to the club, and described the season, up until April 2001, as "average". Despite how mature his performances had become since Petit left, he criticised Arsenal's decision to sell him and Marc Overmars to FC Barcelona: "Of course it was good business but it was a big disappointment for me. If we still had the same team now and put Overmars and Petit in it, we would be even better and stronger. It's not that I miss Petit – the team needs him."
In May 2001, The Daily Telegraph reported that Manchester United was planning an "audacious" attempt to sign Vieira; manager Alex Ferguson, a long-term admirer of the player, was given the green light by his board to make a bid. In the summer period, Vieira disparaged Arsenal's transfer activity and was adamant the club would not finish "in the top five in the league – and forget the Champions League," saying about his future: "As far as I'm concerned, the matter is resolved. I am leaving Arsenal and I have made that perfectly clear." The club refused to respond to his comments, but vice-chairman David Dein was privately irked at Vieira's agent, Marc Roger, for letting the situation become unsettling. Wenger attributed the saga at the hands of Manchester United: "They made an approach to Patrick without contacting us, and that does not really respect the rules." Vieira turned up for pre-season training in July 2001 as normal, and was later named the club vice-captain, to ensure he would succeed Tony Adams as captain. Success finally came for Vieira in the 2001–02 season; Arsenal regained the league and beat Chelsea in the 2002 FA Cup Final to complete a second double.
Vieira's performance against Charlton on 14 September 2002 – incidentally his 200th league appearance for Arsenal – "justified Wenger's faith in his captain's fitness". Two months later, he was lauded by The Guardian correspondent David Lacey for his show against Newcastle United: "the Arsenal captain dominated the afternoon with a demonstration of tackling, control, awareness and movement that was exceptional even by his standards." Vieira sustained a groin injury against Valencia CF in December 2002, returning on Boxing Day to face West Bromwich Albion. In May 2003, Vieira was fined £2,300 by UEFA, having criticised the organisation for not doing enough on racism, as Vieira had been subjected to racist abuse against Valencia. Vieira missed Arsenal's title run-in, which saw Manchester United overtake them in first place, due to sustaining a knee injury. Vieira was also ruled out of the 2003 FA Cup Final, which Arsenal won.
In spite of growing interest to sign Vieira, not least from Manchester United, Real Madrid and Chelsea in summer 2003, he agreed to stay at Arsenal and signed a deal that ran until 2007. The 2003–04 season was a successful one for Arsenal, as they reclaimed the league title and became the first English team in more than a century to go through the entire league season unbeaten. Vieira endured a troubling start to the campaign, as he was sent off against Manchester United in September 2003, banned for one match, and later fined £20,000 "for improper conduct in failing to leave the field of play following his sending-off". He went off with a thigh strain during the match against Newcastle United, which commenced a period of being in and out of the side for two months. He scored his first goal of the season against Chelsea on 21 February 2004; Arsenal afterwards opened up a seven-point gap at the top of the league. Two months later, Vieira scored the opening goal away to Tottenham Hotspur, in what ended a 2–2 draw – enough for Arsenal to regain the title. Against Leicester City in the final league match of the campaign, with the score tied at 1–1, Dennis Bergkamp set up Vieira with a pass, to which he rounded the goalkeeper and scored. Arsenal ended the campaign as league champions without a single defeat – a record of 26 wins and twelve draws.
Vieira scored his first goal of the 2004–05 season in a nine-goal North London derby, which Arsenal won 5–4 on 13 November 2004. His second goal came in a fortnight at Liverpool, "lifting a lazy, delicate finish away from Chris Kirkland" after a one-touch move. Arsenal lost the match late on and Vieira, booked in the match, was suspended for the December clash against league leaders Chelsea; he scored the only goal for the team against Newcastle in the Christmas period. Vieira was involved in a tunnel bust up with Manchester United captain Roy Keane in February 2005 and was confronted about an incident involving Gary Neville.Archived at Ghostarchive and the
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Wayback Machine: Arsenal fell to third as a result of losing 4–2 to United, but a twelve-game unbeaten run, culminating in a 7–0 home win against Everton, meant they ended the season in second place. In the 2005 FA Cup Final, he scored the winning penalty in a penalty shoot-out after a 0–0 draw with Manchester United, which proved to be his final kick of a ball for Arsenal. Vieira returned for the opening match of Emirates Stadium, in a testimonial for Bergkamp on 22 July 2006, as one of the Arsenal legends against Ajax.
Vieira scored his first goal for the club – a 37th-minute winner against Udinese Calcio a week after – which contributed towards Juventus' impressive start to the season. Having picked up a groin injury through international duty for France, Vieira missed Juventus' Champions League match away to Bayern Munich in October 2005. Despite his performances dipping as the result of a persistent groin injury, and a reported training ground bust-up with teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović, Vieira helped Juventus retain the Scudetto, which was later stripped. Vieira returned to Highbury on 28 March 2006 to play against Arsenal in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League. During that game, he was the subject of a strong tackle by former club and national teammate Robert Pires. Vieira was left crestfallen as Pires regained possession and Arsenal attacked, scoring the first goal of the tie through Cesc Fàbregas. Pires humorously quipped that it was the first time in 13 years he had got the better of Vieira physically. Vieira also received a yellow card during that leg, which Arsenal won 2–0, and was suspended for the return leg on 5 April, which ended 0–0 and eliminated Juventus.Haond, Patrick, "Pirès delight at dumping Vieira", skysports.com, 29 March 2006. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
On his Inter debut on 26 August, Vieira scored twice as the team won 4–3 against Roma in the Supercoppa Italiana at the San Siro. He later won the 2006–07, 2007–08 and 2008–09 Serie A titles; due to injury, he failed to become a regular starter. Olivier Dacourt, initially a backup player, became manager Roberto Mancini's first choice player in the 2006–07 season. After the club signed Sulley Muntari and Thiago Motta, Vieira became of lesser and lesser importance to 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. The move never happened, and Vieira remained at Inter. On 6 January 2010, Vieira was unusually included in the starting lineup against Chievo, which was his eighth league start of the season. Before the match commenced, Inter had lost Esteban Cambiasso and Muntari due to injury, with Dejan Stanković and Motta suspended. José Mourinho stated that Vieira had played his last game at Inter after the match.
On 9 June, Vieira agreed to a one-year extension to his contract, which kept him at Eastlands until the summer of 2011. On 22 February 2011, Vieira scored the first two City goals in a 5–0 win in the FA Cup Fourth round replay against Notts County, and was awarded Man of the Match honours. He scored in the Premier League on 3 April against Sunderland, a minute after having come on as a substitute for Adam Johnson in the 5–0 win. He made an added-time substitute appearance in place of David Silva on 14 May, as Manchester City won the 2011 FA Cup Final with a 1–0 win over Stoke at Wembley Stadium. On 14 July, he retired at the age of 35, immediately becoming a development executive at City.
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 Switzerland. In the round of 16, Vieira assisted the equaliser by Franck Ribéry and scored the second goal in a 3–1 win over Spain. Vieira started the final, but was substituted injured for Alou Diarra as Italy won 5–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.
On 5 August 2006, Vieira was reappointed captain of the France national team for the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign following Zidane's full retirement. Vieira to lead Les Bleus, uefa.com, 6 August 2006. Retrieved 29 May 2007. He became the fifth Frenchman to earn 100 caps on 15 November, in a 1–0 win over Greece at the Stade de France. 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 Exhibition game match against Nigeria, and was not included by coach Raymond Domenech in France's squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. On 7 July 2010, Vieira confirmed that he was no longer interested in playing for France and would devote his time to Manchester City.
Vieira was involved in an altercation with pitch-invading Everton fans on 19 May 2022 at Goodison Park. Vieira refused to comment on the event, while opposing manager Frank Lampard sympathised with him. Neither Vieira or the fan agreed to file a complaint or support prosecution of the other when they were questioned by Merseyside Police. Vieira was sacked by the club on 17 March 2023, after a twelve-game run without a win, including a three-game span without a single shot on target, left the team three points above the relegation zone. His last match in charge was a 1–0 away defeat to rivals Brighton & Hove Albion on 15 March. He was replaced by his predecessor Hodgson.
| + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | |||
| AS Cannes | 1993–94 | Division 1 | 0 |
| 1994–95 | Division 1 | 4 | |
| 1995–96 | Division 1 | 0 | |
| AC Milan | 1995–96 | Serie A | 0 |
| Arsenal | 1996–97 | Premier League | 2 |
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 2 | |
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 4 | |
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 2 | |
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 6 | |
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 3 | |
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 4 | |
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 3 | |
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 7 | |
| Juventus FC | 2005–06 | Serie A | 5 |
| Inter Milan | 2006–07 | Serie A | 4 |
| 2007–08 | Serie A | 3 | |
| 2008–09 | Serie A | 1 | |
| 2009–10 | Serie A | 1 | |
| Manchester City | 2009–10 | Premier League | 1 |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 5 | |
| + Appearances and goals by national team and year | |
| France | 0 |
| 0 | |
| 0 | |
| 0 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 0 | |
| 0 | |
| 0 | |
| 2 | |
| 0 | |
| 0 | |
| 0 | |
| + List of international goals scored by Patrick Vieira |
| 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| Friendly |
| UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| New York City FC | 1 January 2016 | 11 June 2018 | ||
| OGC Nice | 11 June 2018 | 4 December 2020 | ||
| Crystal Palace | 4 July 2021 | 17 March 2023 | ||
| Strasbourg | 2 July 2023 | 18 July 2024 | ||
| Genoa CFC | 20 November 2024 | 1 November 2025 | ||
Arsenal
Inter Milan
Manchester City
France
Individual
Manager
Orders
See also
External links
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