Patrick Vieira inducted into Premier League Hall of Fame
Vieira won three Premier League titles during 11 seasons with Arsenal, helping the Gunners win the league for the first time in 1997/98, his second season at the club.
Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira has been inducted into the official Premier League Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame recognises and celebrates the exceptional skill and talent of individuals who have graced the Premier League since its inception in 1992. It is the highest individual honour awarded to players by the league.
Vieira won three Premier League titles during 11 seasons with Arsenal, helping the Gunners win the league for the first time in 1997/98, his second season at the club.
He was named Premier League Player of the Season in 2000/01 and won the league a second time the following year. After becoming Arsenal captain, he led the ‘Invincibles’ team to the title in an unparalleled season, not losing a match in 2003/04.
The Frenchman scored 31 goals and notched 34 assists across 307 Premier League appearances with both Arsenal and Manchester City,
Vieira said: “Being inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame is a fantastic achievement. When I received the news, I thought about being a young boy playing in Senegal, or in a suburb of Paris.
“To be there with the best players in the Premier League, the best league in the world, is bigger than what I was ever thinking about. To have my name around those players makes me proud and makes me realise how good I was.
“What really makes me happy and proud is when your name is mentioned by new, up-and-coming holding midfielders as an example of how they would like to play.”
As part of the Premier League announcement, former teammates, opponents and manager Arsène Wenger shared their praise for Vieira, with Wenger saying: “There’s only one Patrick Vieira.”
Former Palace forward Ian Wright added: “The legacy he’ll leave is we’ve not seen a midfield player like that before him, and we’ve not seen one since… there’s no one else like him. No one.”
All inducted players receive a medallion engraved with their name and the year of their induction, with a £10,000 donation made by the Premier League to a charity of their choice.
Vieira was inducted alongside Wayne Rooney, joining Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry.
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: “Wayne Rooney and Patrick Vieira are two of the finest players to have played in their respective positions and are worthy additions to the eight players who entered the Hall of Fame last year.
“During more than a decade with Arsenal, Patrick was a tower of strength in midfield and very few players have matched his combination of power and finesse. He was an integral part of the team and a leader on the pitch, captaining the only side to have gone unbeaten through an entire Premier League season.”
