Daily Sports Supplement: Patrick Vieira; a written tribute to a legend of the game.

When I get asked who my favourite player of all time is, the answer remains the same every time - Patrick Vieira. Being an Arsenal fan it is hard to find a reason not to idolise him. Whilst many other football fans will respond with a host of different players ranging from Pele to John Terry, I opt for Vieira simply because he was the man that single-handedly roped me into watching the game that I adore so much today. Despite what 'bit part' supporters say, the Frenchman was the ultimate all round footballer who could play astonishing passes and express incredible technical ability. As a young boy of about 4 years old my only on screen idol was the unforgettable Barney The Dinosaur. I was a little boy who felt so disheartened when his Dad turned his cartoons over in order to watch football and was happy to see the back of it. 1998 was a year that changed all of that though, discarding of my Dad's judgement - a Chelsea fan - I decided to start supporting Arsenal, a team that had at the heart of their midfield a 6 ft 3 and a half inch Senegalese man. The season was one that saw Arsene Wenger's side collect their first Premier League trophy and overhaul a 12 point gap that Manchester United had opened up on them earlier in the campaign, this was a feat that I was happy with although if it were to happen now it would be one that I would be ecstatic with. At the tender age of just 4, watching the game was still very much a learning process for me. However over the years, along with my love for the game, my admiration for Arsenal's number 4 midfielder grew too.

Vieira with former compatriot Emmanuel Petit in his early Arsenal days.

Physique - Standing at 6 ft 3 inches tall, Vieira was a player that at the time would tower over almost any opponent he'd come up against. His sheer physical presence in front of the Arsenal backline was most of the time enough to leave his opponent with their tail between their legs. When he was playing a more offensive role, although not naturally consisting of bundles of pace, his long legs would enable him to get back in time to snuff out the counter attack. His height would also come in handy when he was facing an aerial challenge for the ball. Vieira is a player that will always be remembered for his impeccable defensive ability and the amount of headers won by him in order to clear an opposing set piece is evidence of this, however he was also deadly with his head at the other end of the pitch. Away from his height his strength was another big contributing factor throughout his career, he would use it when hunting down the ball, jostling for a position and of course simply letting his opponent know that he is there.

Vieira heading home against Roma.

Mentality - Vieira's time in North London led many to believe that he was almost an Englishman - just one with a French accent. He possessed a mentality that had clearly been influenced and enhanced passively by the senior die hard players at the club with him at the time; Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, David Seaman etc. and was one not normally associated with a player coming from France. His passion for the game was on show for all to see, he was never one to come into a game with his head down and no matter what the occasion, always possessed a burning desire to win. Arsene Wenger said that "if he goes to Sheffield United on a Tuesday night or to Real Madrid on a Wednesday night he plays exactly the same game, he is ready to fight to win." From day one of his Arsenal career he displayed an immense amount of courage, he never hid from anybody and would always be there in the thick of things, getting stuck in; showcasing his aggression were a big part of his game. In his time he entertained fans with a number of on field scraps, most notable of all is the annual one he would hold against Manchester United 'hardman' Roy Keane. Vieira was quite simply a gladiator of the game and one who would never back out of a challenge, who thrived on being forced to fight and who did not know the meaning of the word quit, he even asked manager Arsene Wenger to play him when he was injured. He is seen to be one of the last players from the old school, never wanting to extract any outside media attention like so many of the modern day footballers do now, the Frenchman only cared about doing his job, crossing the white line every Saturday afternoon willing to leave a piece of his body on the pitch in order to earn his side three invaluable points.

Vieira involved in a typical scrap with Roy Keane.

Technique & goals - When Patrick Vieira's name is brought up, 'fantastic technical ability', 'good finisher' and 'excellent passer of the ball' hardly ever seem to be brought up with it. However throughout his Arsenal career Patrick displayed quick feet, a range of precise important passes and also stood up when no one else would, tucking away some key goals. Although more well known for his aggression and will to lay into his opponent, Vieira had with him a tremendous sense of composure. Even in his early years he showed a real patience where the average footballer would panic and reassured his team mates, playing good, crisp football - displaying his maturity. Being technically gifted and being able to do your sides dirty work is somewhat of a rarity today and has been since the game began. Vieira also notched up 33 goals in his time with Arsenal, an impressive record for someone who can supposedly only defend. Not only did he score goals but he scored vital ones to, Manchester United, Chelsea and arch rivals Spurs have all conceded to his devastating right boot over the years. As Martin Tyler once said 'well he doesn't get too many goals, but when he does they're usually very special.' This is certainly a part of his game that deserves a great deal of respect and should be spoken about more often.

Vieira celebrating his goal at Stamford Bride; 2004.

Captaincy - As I have already mentioned Vieira spent his years in North London possessing a fantastic mentality. This along with his desire, will to win, leadership skills and vocal dominance were the clear reasons as to why Mr Wenger decided to hand him the captains armband when legendary leader Tony Adams retired. It was the obvious choice, even in the days when he was not captain, Vieira was a player that was regularly leading by example, sorting out positions and was not afraid to shout in order to give the team a lift. He also had formed an incredible friendship with his predecessor Tony Adams, a process in which no doubt Vieira had it drummed into him what it meant to wear the armband and what it required. As captain a higher level of maturity was on display and he was now the main man at the club. The 2003-04 Invincible season was capped off in the most iconic way with Vieira again showing off his technical ability as he rounded the Leicester City 'keeper at Highbury to put away his sides winner and to seal an unbeaten Premier League campaign. After this he was given the nickname 'Captain Invincible' something that I quite clearly agree with. His passion for the club and his understanding of it was underlined to me when new arrival Robin Van Persie turned up to training wearing navy and white tracksuit bottoms, only to be told to change them by his new captain as they were Spurs colours, Van Persie has reportedly never been seen in those same trackies ever since. His final act as captain was rifling the ball high into the Manchester United goal at Cardiff to bring back the F.A Cup, from that kick onwards, his former club have endured 6 and a half seasons without a trophy, coincidence?

Vieira with his mentor Tony Adams.

Fans - Just like any legend at any club, Vieira had formed a special relationship with the Arsenal fans. Constantly praising them up during post match interviews and rallying them on in games with a simple wave of the arm along with the fact that they knew their hero would give them 110% every single time he put on the shirt is why they idolised him so much. In a recent interview Vieira declared "When you have 50,000 people singing 'Vieira woa-oh... he comes from Senegal, he plays for Arsenal' it's fantastic!" Patrick also gave nine years of his life to the club and almost every single one of those would be followed up by a summer filled with speculation over him moving to Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan etc. For all of those years though he was willing to ply his trade in the best league in the world and committed to the club that he loved so dearly. In 2005, when he did finally depart for Italian side Juventus, it came as no suprise that hardly any Arsenal fan was bitter towards him, they had loved him for 9 years, seen him give so much to their football club and because of it had only respect and admiration for him. The respect was mutual, Vieira continued to follow the clubs results and regularly commented on the teams performances as well as always stating that if he were to one day score against his former side, he would not celebrate. The combination of these things plus the fact that the Highbury faithful knew that he never cheated them out of anything and always gave them his best is why he was voted the clubs fifth best player of all time in 2008. Although I love him, I have always felt that it would have been fitting to have seen my idol and Arsenal's last real captain bow out in style after playing his testimonial and waving farewell to the fans in the last ever game to be played on the pitch that he had graced for what would have been a decade, Highbury.

A kiss that was never empty nor deceiving.

In all honesty, this blog is just a collection of words that have been placed together to try and present people with an idea of just how good my favourite player of all time, Patrick Vieira, really was. In reality, even with the help of YouTube videos, the spark and the real reasons as to why I love him so much can only be experienced with a time machine. It was a feeling that I had developed over a number of years and one that was intensified further somewhat after he had left. He is somebody that reeks of success having won 3 Premier League titles, 5 F.A Cups, 4 Serie A titles, 1 Coppa Itallia, 1 UEFA European Championship and 1 World Cup as well as many other individual honours. For a large part of my life I have tried to adopt his style of football into my style of life, he has taught me to ultimately look after my peers, treat them well, tell them when they need to be doing better, to stand up and fight against any challenge, to be composed and calm when needed, to be successful and to never give up on anything, even a football that looks like it's going out for an opposition throw-in. Patrick Vieira has littered my life with exciting, heart-wrenching, hair raising moments and has left me with memories that are amongst my fondest. Hopefully after reading this, when you are next asked the question 'who is your favourite player of all time?' you will reply '...He comes from Senegal, he played for Arsenal.'