Top facts about Patrick Vieira, Paddy
How much do you know about Patrick Vieira, one of the best French midfielder of all time? Join us in the following article to review detailed information about the legend's life.
Patrick Vieira, widely known as Paddy, is regarded as one of the best players of his generation. Vieira's professional life began with a French club,
Cannes, in 1994. His outstanding performance at the French club in his debut season did not go unnoticed by Serie A club
Milan. After a year, he moved to
Arsenalin 1996 for a fee of £3.5 million, establishing himself as a dominating box-to-box midfielder under Arsene Wenger.
He achieved several trophies during his nine-year stint with the Gunners, including three Premier League titles and the FA Cup title on four occasions. From 1999 to 2004, he was selected in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year for six consecutive years. Vieira left the club in 2005 to join Juventus, leaving the club after Juventus was relegated due to the Calciopoli scandal. Then the former French midfielder went on to play for Inter Milan, where he won four league titles. Before hanging up his boots in 2011, he also played one season at Manchester City.
As a member of France's national side, Patrick Vieira represented his country at three World Cups, three UEFA Euros, and one FIFA Confederations Cup, helping his country win the 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2000 UEFA European Championship, as well as 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. To know some more interesting
top facts about Patrick Vieira
's life, scroll further.
Facts you need to know about Patrick Vieira
Let's take a look at the top facts about Patrick Vieira. Facts like Patrick Vieira birthday, wife, Instagram, which may be fascinating to football lovers.
Patrick Vieira age and biography at point
Full Name:
Patrick Vieira
Nickname:
Paddy
Date of Birth:
23 June 1976
Age:
45 years
Place of Birth:
Dakar, Senegal
Nationality:
French, Senegalese
Height:
1.92 m
Weight:
85 kg
Parents:
Emilienne Vieira
Wife/Partner:
Cheryl Plaza Vieira (m. 2005)
Children: -
Occupation:
Professional Football Manager
Playing Position:
Midfielder
Club(s):
As a player: Cannes, Milan, Arsenal, Juventus, Inter Milan, and Manchester City/ As a manager: New York City FC, Nice, and Crystal Palace
Jersey/Kit Number:
4 (at Arsenal)
Net Worth:
$33 million
Patrick Vieira Childhood
The first part of our article on top facts about Patrick Vieira is about his childhood.
Patrick Vieira birthday
is on 23 June 1976 in Dakar, Senegal. Patrick Vieira family moved from Senegal to Dreux in 1985, where his mother, Emilienne Vieira, found a new job. When he was a child, his parents got divorced, and his father, Jacob, left the family very early.
It is worth mentioning that Patrick's grandfather served in the French Army and made his grandson eligible for French nationality at birth. When
Patrick Vieira age
was 13, his height was 1.80 m, so he preferred to become a professional footballer.
Patrick Vieira Career Stats
After reviewing Patrick Vieira's childhood, let's take a look at
Patrick Vieira career stats
, that is, one of the significant-top facts about Patrick Vieira. When he was 17, Vieira joined Cannes, and two years later he became the club's captain. "The manager saw me as a leader not because of the way I talked, but the way I behaved on the pitch. I always had that inside me, even when I was young. I’ve got this desire inside of me, this determination," said Vieira.
The French midfielder moved to Milan in 1995, but mostly he played in the reserves. Paddy joined to English club Arsenal for £3.5 million. He later said he agreed to join the English club because Arsène Wenger was going to be Arsenal's next manager.
"I am delighted to be joining Arsenal at the same time as Mr. Wenger becomes their coach. Being able to speak French to him will make life a lot easier for me." He made his debut against Middlesbrough, scoring his first goal on 8 December 1996 against Derby County. He spent nine seasons with the Gunners, helping them win three Premier League titles, the FA Cup title on four occasions, and three FA Community Shield titles. Vieira played 397 times for Arsenal and scored 32 goals, providing 44 assists.
"After nine years at Arsenal, I was 29/30-years-old and 30-years-old in football you start to get old. You can see that the coach doesn’t trust you like he used to. That’s part of the game. It’s difficult and I accept it because we had a young player called (Cesc) Fabregas who was coming through the academy and he was doing really well. So I was smelling that the time for me at Arsenal was over. I had to accept it was over, and I had to make a difficult decision as well because leaving Arsenal, where you’ve spent nine years, is really difficult, and it hurts your pride a little bit. As a player, you feel proud but I made the decision because I wanted to play every game and I decided to go back to Italy," said Vieira on leaving Arsenal.
Following the leaving Arsenal in 2005, the French midfielder moved to
Juventus, signing a five-year contract for £13.75 million. He played 42 times at Juventus, scoring five goals and providing four assists for his teammates. Vieira achieved two Serie A titles during his spell with the Italian club, which was later revoked by Calciopoli. After Juventus was relegated to Serie B, the French footballer left the club to join Inter Milan, signing a four-year deal with the club in a deal to be worth €9.5 million. During a four-year spell, Vieira made 91 appearances for the Italian club, scoring nine goals and providing ten assists for his teammates.
Patrick Vieira helped the club win four Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia title, and Supercoppa Italiana on two occasions. On 8 January 2010, he moved to Manchester United with a six-month deal under Roberto Mancini, making his debut against
Hull City. He helped the club win one FA Cup, scoring six goals in 46 appearances that he made for the club.
At the international level, Patrick Vieira made his debut for his country against the
Netherlandsin 1997. Vieira represented his country at three World Cups, three UEFA Euros, and one FIFA Confederations Cup, helping his country win the 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2000 UEFA European Championship, as well as 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. The legend earned 107 caps for
Franceand managed to bag himself six goals.
"I enjoyed playing for the national team, the French national team, because I think France gave me a lot and gave my family a lot, so to wear the French national team shirt was really good, and I wore it with pride. It had never been a decision to choose between the French national team or the Senegalese national team because I was growing up in France and playing in the French youth national team, so it was something really normal," said Vieira on France national side.
Patrick Vieira Managerial Career
After hanging his boots, Vieira tried his hands at management, and on 9 November 2015, he was named the new head coach of New York City FC, replacing inaugural head coach Jason Kreis. After two years, he left the club and became the manager of Ligue 1 side Nice. On 4 July 2021, he was named a manager of Crystal Palace, the Premier League club.
Patrick Vieira Net worth & Salary
In this section, we will take a look at
Patrick Vieira salary
and net worth, which is one of the fascinating top facts about Patrick Vieira.
Widely known as Paddy, Patrick Vieira is regarded as one of the best French midfielders in football history. As of 2021,
Patrick Vieira net worth
is estimated at around $33 million.
Patrick Vieira salary as a Crystal Palace manager is $ 4,00,000 annually.
Patrick Vieira Children & Wife
Football fans know about Patrick Vieira's skills, but few consider his bio, which is quite interesting. Stay tuned to read more about the
Patrick Vieira family
. Patrick started dating the beautiful Cheryl when he was playing for Arsenal. The couple got married in 2005 in a lavish wedding ceremony, which was attended by many stars, including Thierry Henry. Who is Patrick Vieira wife? She was born in Trinidad in 1968, so she is eight years older than the former footballer.
Patrick Vieira wife
's height is around 170 cm, and her weight is around 55 kg - 60 kg. Cheryl Plaza Vieira is famous for being the wife of the former Arsenal footballer, and she prefers to stay in the shadow. In 2021, it was rumored that the couple had separated, but nothing was officially confirmed. In the case of
Patrick Vieira children
, you might know that the former footballer has one daughter.
Facts about Patrick Vieira you did not know
Patrick Vieira nickname
Patrick Vieira nickname is given to him by his fans. He is known as Paddy.
Patrick Vieira tattoo
The amusing fact about Patrick Vieira tattoo is that just like many footballers of his generation, he has yet to have any tattoos on his body.
Patrick Vieira Instagram account
Paddy, like many football managers, is active on Instagram. Patrick Vieira Instagram account (
@officialpatrickvieira) has around 312k followers.
Patrick Vieira height
Patrick Vieira height is 192 m, and also his weight is 85 kg.
More facts about Patrick Vieira
The Arsenal legend returned to Senegal in 2003 for the first time since his childhood. He founded a football academy.
During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he worked as a pundit for ITV.
Patrick Vieira Quotes
One of the most amusing parts of SportMob's article on top facts about Patrick Vieira is a look back at his most controversial quotes.
On his managerial career
"I wasn't ready to manage straight away. You have a few players who stopped and managed a first team straight away and were successful, and then there are the other ones who take different pathways. And I think what was important for me was to understand what I really wanted to do. I'm a good listener, and I take into consideration everything people tell me, but at the same time, I believe my eyes as well as the experience I had as a player. So players who underperform? There has to be a reason why... my job is for them to perform. When I spent time in the academy, exchanging ideas with young players, being on the field, the way they were looking at me - I loved it. And I felt really comfortable at it."
On the African football
"I think what African football needs is better organization, better structure, and I think, after that, we'll help the players to be more professional when they're coming to play for their national team."
On Real Madrid
"It was complicated at Madrid. I was suspicious. The lack of recognition for Makelele over there scared me. I was scared it would happen to me. But I should have gone there. Today, I don't regret the career that I have had, but if I could have changed one thing, it would be that: to go to Madrid."
On Arsene Wenger
"I didn't know anything about England or anything about Arsenal, but I knew a lot about Arsene and his reputation, so I went straight away. Arsene Wenger is an ambitious manager, and he knows deep in his heart that he needs five world-class players to compete among the best in Europe.When I told Arsene Wenger I was leaving, he said to me, 'I have £25m to spend on a few players.' My answer was, 'Obviously, Mr. Wenger, you are not shopping in Harrods. That will only buy you one good player.' Now I have been proved right."
"Arsene always gives freedom to his players. To have that freedom is good, but if you can give them the freedom and respect the tactical aspect of the game, it will be even better. When, in 2005, there was an offer from Juventus, I was in the Bahamas. When I came back, Arsene said to me, 'There is an offer from Juve. What do you want to do?' I understood that he was saying, 'If you want to leave, leave."
On Thierry Henry
"Thierry is the best striker in the world. By far he's the best in the world. Thierry doesn't just score goals. Even when he's not having a good day he can make an important pass. He is a strong character. If things go wrong, he bounces straight back. His effect on the club is very big."
On Roger Lemerre
"I sincerely think that firing Roger Lemerre was the easiest solution. There had to be a guilty party, and it was him. He was the ideal prey. He had his share of responsibility like everybody else, like the French FA who organised friendly matches at the other end of the world, but the actors - the players - have the greatest share of it."
Patrick Vieira TransferMarket
According to
Patrick Vieira transfermarket
, the former Arsenal legend played 636 times for six clubs (Cannes, Milan, Arsenal, Juventus, Inter Milan, and Manchester City). During his playing time, Vieira scored 55 goals and provided 63 assists for his teammates.
At the international level, Patrick Vieira earned 107 caps and scored six goals for France national side.
Patrick Vieira Records & Achievements
Sportmob's article on top facts about Patrick Vieira will end with a list of Patrick Vieira's individual records and notable achievements. The legend footballer won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup title on four occasions, and three FA Community Shield titles during his spell at Arsenal. Vieira also won four Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia title, and Supercoppa Italiana on two occasions during his spell at Inter Milan. The legend midfielder achieved the 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2000 UEFA European Championship, as well as the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup with the France national side.
His notable individual achievements are UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament (2000), FIFA Confederations Cup Silver Ball (2001), PFA Team of the Year (six times), UEFA Team of the Year (2001), Premier League Overseas Team of the Decade (two times), English Football Hall of Fame (2014), and Golden Foot Legends Award (2019).
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top facts about Patrick Vieira
? Do you know any other facts about him? Comment us your views.
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