A TRIBUTE TO VIEIRA.
finally the annual vieira transfer saga has come to an end.
every year he was faced with the same excruciatingly painful decision to take : whether he should leave his beloved arsenal or not.
finally the will he - won’t he leave the gunners question has been answered. looking for a fresh , new challenge after spending 9 fabulous years at highbury , the senegalese born french defensive midfielder eventually decided to move to the turin giants juventus. the bianconeri snatched him for 13.75 million pounds (officially) , warding off interest from spanish giants real madrid who were after him at the end of last season as well. last season vieira had extended his stay at highbury by one more year . but at 29 years of age , he is not getting any younger and having taken a physical beating in the tough , hectic premier league for 9 long seasons has taken its toll on the former arsenal skipper.maybe the slower italian serie a will suit him better . since joining the gunners in 1996 from A.C Milan , patrick has blossomed into one of the finest defensive midfielders of his generation . his ball winning ability, tackling, retaining possesion, and ball distribution are second to none. admitted ,last season at highbury wasn’t his best by his standards , he was lacklustre , jaded and out of sorts as the premier league and european campaign of the gunners faltered. but then one must take the fact into consideration that for most of the season he was not playing alongside his usual midfield partner gilberto silva , the brazilian who was sidelined due to injury.
a fit gilberto playing with him gives vieira the confidence to make the surging runs into the opponents half which is his trademark . also he plays with more flair as gilberto handles the defensive side as well.
most of last season he played alongside youngsters like flamini and fabregas who although immensely talented and promising , don’t have the experience and guile yet. they are still learning their trade.
but at his best vieira is simply a joy to watch. his immaculate passing and controlling the midfield play is top draw. he is a true midfield general , running the show , conducting an orchestra. people argue whether he or keane or makelele are better in that position , but for me there is absolutely no doubt that vieira is as good as them and is one of the stalwarts of european soccer.
he also has the pedigree if you look at his achievements.
with france he has won the world cup and the european championship.
with arsenal hea has won the premier league thrice and also the F.A cup.
the only piece of silverware remaining is the coveted U.E.F.A CHAMPIONS LEAGUE trophy , europe’s prestigious competition of elite football clubs in which arsenal have failed miserably every year since its inception. maybe it is this frustration with arsenal’s performance in the champions league which prompted him to seek a new club where he can accomplish this feat , and realise his dream. although i must say i am slightly perplexed as to why he chose juventus ahead of madrid , where his french compatriot zidane was asking him to join the galacticos instead knowing what an immensely talented footballer vieira is.having played before in italy for A.C Milan before joining the gunners in 1996 , he had suffered a lot of racial abuse with the rossoneri. infact i thought he would have preffered spain’s la liga over the italian serie a . anyways european heavyweights juve will surely be elated that he has joined them. the important thing though is that he knew it was time for him to move on having achieved all there is to achieve at arsenal. and i don’t think wenger is a fool to let him go:i trust arsene and he surely has his reasons . i consider it a schrewd move as arsenal profited by his transfer and now they can invest in some quality players and look ahead to the future. right now they are in a transition phase , with an aging pires rumoured to be leaving for galatasaray or juve and bergkamp having just one more season left at highbury. the gunners have already procured the services of alexander hleb , an attacking medio of belarus from the bundesliga club vfb sttutgart. he surely looks promising , also they have been linked with french club lyon’s mohammad diarra who falls in the same catgory as vieira.
so arsenal are rebuilding their squad and certainly have a bright future ahead of them with budding youngsters like flamini , fabregas , senderos, toure, clichy etc . but no one can replace vieira and fill the void left by his departure. he will be sorely missed , the enormous influence he had in the dressing room : binding the english and foreign players together.
he had a huge impact not just at arsenal but on the premiership as a whole . his leadership qualities at arsenal were exemplary and the feeling of team spirit and pride he instilled in his team mates is incomparable.
he leaves his beloved arsenal on a high though and having won the F.A cup beating arch rivals manchester united on penalties in his last match for the gunners will be fond memories to take along.as he bids adieu to arsenal and the fans , departing gracefully , as an arsenal fan all i can say is that he is the greatest player we ever had , and he will always remain a god for me. the adulation , love and support he has got from the arsenal fans all along these 9 fantastic years is testimony to the fact that he is by far the most popular and influential player at the club.
i mean which arsenal fan doesn’t know the famous chant:
vieira oh-oh-oh vieira oh_oh_oh
he comes from senegal
he plays for arsenal
vieira oh-oh-oh vieira oh_oh_oh.....
so with a heavy heart i say goodbye to our star vieira , wish u goodluck with juve , may you continue to enthrall and delight football fans across the world with your midfield prowess .

the end