INNER TURMOIL ?
Arsene has talked about Vieira’s possible inner turmoil as he prepares to play for Juventus on the pitch where he was a hero for Arsenal.
At Monday’s press conference would not talk about whether he wanted to leave Arsenal.He obviously didn’t want to leave. As I wrote here at the time, Vieira was shell-shocked that Arsene had sold him.
“I have talked about that – I don’t want to come back about it. I’m just here to talk about the game.”
Patrick is hurt and conflicted right now. Any player would be. He finds it hard to be where he is right now because of how he was sold : David Dein went to Turin, made the deal, then met Patrick in the south of France and told him : We’ve had a £12.7 million offer for you and Arsene is willing to accept it.
That moment must have been a huge bombshell for Vieira. His life, his home, his identity, his security, were all blown to smithereens in that moment, But in those circumstances, his pride would not let him stay at Arsenal. That is why he now says, “I don’t want to talk about the past.”
Patrick Vieira was a giant, a warrior, a playmaker, a goalscorer, a matchwinner, a colossus, a captain, a defender, and attacker, a leader, a footballer who made you believe that anything was possible.
He is one of my favourite players of all time. Denis Law, Peter Osgood, Patrick Vieira. No footballer will ever mean as much to me as those three did. And nothing that happens tonight will change that.
Vieira said yesterday that he is proud of his Arsenal career. “When you spend nine years anywhere and you win so much and did so well – because I think in those nine years we had the best period in the history of Arsenal and I was part of it – of course I’m proud of that, and that’s it really.”
QUITE RIGHT ! The stylish power football that Arsenal played while Patrick Vieira wore their No 4 shirt was the best football the club has ever played, even if those teams never won the European Cup, or got close.
Vieira might score tonight, might have a great game, a good game, an average game. We don’t know. Nobody knows.
BUT THE FANS WILL SING his name tonight.They will definitely sing his name tonight. As sure as God made little green apples, they will sing his name tonight : Vieira, Vieira, he came from Senegal, he played for Arsenal.
Emotional?
He will be. You would be.
STOP PRESS : Juventus did not train at Highbury last night.Their flight was delayed.
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