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Patrick Vieira. Photo by Simon Heseltine.

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Patrick Vieira

Patrick Vieira is a French professional football manager of the Premier League Club, Crystal Palace.

He is a former football player, having played for Cannes, Milan, Arsenal, Juventus, Inter Milan, and Manchester City in his career.

He has been widely considered one of the greatest midfielders of his time. Upon retirement in 2011, he turned to coaching and has subsequently managed Manchester City EDS, New York City FC, and Nice.

 He began managing Crystal Palace in 2021. Patrick has received numerous honors both as a football player and now as a manager. Here are the top 10 interesting facts about Patrick Vieira.

1. Patrick Vieira is originally from Senegal

He was born on 23 June 1976 in Senegal. His family moved to Dreux, France when he was 8 years old.

He did not return to Senegal until 2003 when he went to establish the Diambars football academy.

 His grandfather served in the French Army and this made Vieira eligible for French nationality at birth.

2. He began professional football at 17

Patrick Vieira in the pitch. Photo by Steindy.

Vieira first played for AS Cannes, a French association football club based in Cannes. He joined the team in 1994 and by the age of 19, he was captain.

He was later signed to Milan although he only made two appearances for the club.

3. He was signed to Arsenal in 1996

In August 1996, Vieira signed with the English club Arsenal. He played for the club until 2005. Vieira made his debut at a match against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.

His first goal for Arsenal came at a match against Derby County in December 1996. He went on to play 38 matches in that season and helped Arsenal finish third in the UEFA Champions League.

He was named in the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association) Team of the Year. Vieira succeeded Tony Adam as team captain upon his retirement in 2002.

4. Patrick was a target of racial abuse in a 2000 match

Former defender Siniša Mihajlović. Photo by Roberto Vicario.

In October 2000, after a group stage match against Lazio, Vieira claimed that he had been subjected to racial abuse by Sinisa Mihajlovic, a Serbian footballer playing for Lazio at the time.

 UEFA launched an investigation and the player admitted having referred to Vieira’s skin color after being provoked.

Mihajlovic was subsequently served a two-match ban for unsporting actions.

5. He played for France in the FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup Trophy, FIFA World Museum, Zürich, Switzerland. Photo by Ank Kumar.

Vieira first played for France in 1997 against the Netherlands. At the 1998 FIFA World Cup, he formed part of the France squad.

During the final against Brazil, he set up Emmanuel Petit for France’s third goal. France won 3-0.

He was named Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1998, alongside the rest of the squad.

He was the first choice midfielder for France at the UEFA Euro 2000, which they won having beaten Italy in the finals.

In 2001, Vieira led France to victory in the FIFA Confederations Cup. He was the joint top scorer with two goals.

6. Vieira has played for several teams in his career

Former football player, Patrick Vieira at Inter-Milan, 2009. Photo by Steindy.

After Arsenal, Vieira signed a 5-year contract with Juventus in August 2005. The deal was worth 13.75 million euros.

He played midfield and debuted for the club in their 1-0 win against Chievo later in the same month.

His first goal was against Udinese, helping Juventus win; a good start to the league season.

However, many star players left Juventus after its involvement in the Calciopoli scandal. Vieira signed for Inter-Milan, where he won four league titles before moving to Manchester City in 2010.

 He was awarded Man of the Match honors after scoring his first two goals in a 5-0 win against Notts County on 22 February 2011.

Vieira retired from the field in July of the same year.

7. He began his managerial career in 2013

Having announced his retirement from playing on 14 July 2011, Vieira was offered a training and leadership role at Manchester City.

For two years, he was the Football Development Executive. In May 2013, he was appointed manager of Man City’s reserve team; the Elite Development Squad.

His managerial career was well underway.

8. He has managed several clubs

Crystal Palace FC. Photo by James Boyes.

Patrick Vieira was announced head coach of New York City FC on 9 November 2015. He replaced Jason Kreis.

His tactical knowledge and familiarity with the club’s operations made him a perfect fit for the job.

The club improved its Major League Soccer standings from 17^th to 4^th in Vieira’s first season and then to 2^nd in 2017.

In June 2018, Vieira was appointed manager of Nice. The club finished 7^th in the league in Vieira’s first season, an improvement from the previous season.

He was however let go in 2020 after a run of 5 losses in a row.

In 2021, he was announced manager of Crystal Palace on a three-year contract. He replaced the former manager, Roy Hodgson.

His coaching style has been described as methodical, possession-based, and sometimes defensive, especially where his team is in a tight spot.

9. Patrick has won many awards

Patrick Vieira has had a great career both as a player on the field and now as a manager. His skills have earned him a series of awards.

Some of them include PFA Team of the Year (1998), Premier League Player of the Season (2000-01), and French Player of the Year (2001).

He won the Golden Foot Legends Award in 2019 and entered the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2022.

Vieira has also been awarded Knight of the Legion of Honor (1998).

10. He has made appearances in several media features

Patrick Vieira has made several appearances in the media. He has featured in Nike’s commercials.

In the 2022 World Cup Korea, he featured in Nike’s global advertisement campaign alongside football players such as Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho, and Francesco Totti.

He was on the cover of FIFA 2005 and was named in the Ultimate Team Legends in FIFA 14. Vieira has also worked as a pundit for ITV during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.