Thierry Henry and Robert Pires recently heaped praise onto form Arsenal captain and teammate, Patrick Vieira.
- Patrick Vieira considered for Southampton post
- Vieira made 279 league appearances for Arsenal
- Has never been truly replaced
- Pires and Henry hailed his ability as a captain
Henry and Pires recently hailed the former midfielder, who is currently manager of New York City FC, and explained how there will never be another player like Patrick Vieira.
“You can not have another Vieira, it’s as simple as that,” Henry told FIFA TV [via Evening Standard].
“I don’t remember ever playing with or seeing a man that could play alone in midfield, getting the ball back, giving you an assist and a goal.
“Going through the opposition like they just were not there.”
Pires added, “He was a true leader, a true captain. On occasions when things weren’t going well on the pitch, we needed to hear his voice.”
Since Vieira left Arsenal for Juventus in 2005, the Gunners are yet to truly replace him. A dominating defensive midfielder who not only had the physical presence and leadership qualities but the skill on the pitch to back it up appears to be impossible to find.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlIjQdgC_n4
However, as Pires and Henry said, players like Vieira don’t just fall from the sky and while Arsenal have never replaced him, there aren’t many teams that have managed to find anyone close to the former France international either.