Patrick Vieira is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history.
The Arsenal legend is a Hall of Famer and was the driving force behind one of the most dominant teams English football has ever seen. His influence, leadership and quality on the pitch made him a complete midfielder.
That is why he deserves to be right at the top when people discuss the best ever, but that isn’t always the case.
Recently, Jamie Carragher ranked Vieira fourth in his list of the Premier League’s greatest-ever midfielders. The Frenchman was not happy with that.
If Patrick Vieira isn’t Arsenal’s greatest EVER captain, then who is?
Patrick Vieira questions Jamie Carragher after being ranked fourth in his top Premier League midfielders list
Carragher has made a lot of controversial opinions about Arsenal over the years.
Fans of the Emirates Stadium club often call him out for his comments, but he doesn’t care, as it gets him the engagement he wants.
However, on CBS Sports, Patrick Vieira decided to question him, albeit jokingly.
Recently, during a segment on Sky Sports, Carragher named his top 10 Premier League midfielders of all time. Unsurprisingly, he placed Steven Gerrard at number one, Roy Keane second, Kevin De Bruyne third and then Vieira in fourth.
Vieira did not hesitate to bring it up when they interacted live on air, and Carragher ended up apologising.
The Arsenal legend said: “I’m quite frustrated about Jamie because I saw the list of his 10 top midfield players and I was just ranking number four or number five, and he put Roy Keane in front of me.”
Carragher responded: “Apologies, Patrick. He was sat next to me. What could I do? I can put you second now.”
Vieira was not willing to settle for that and replied: “No, I want to be on top, not second. Second is for Micah (Richards).”
Where does Patrick Vieira rank among the BEST EVER Premier League midfielders?
Patrick Vieira achieved something Carragher’s top three never did
There is no doubt that Gerrard, Keane and De Bruyne were all incredible midfielders in the Premier League. Each of them dominated games in their own way and achieved great success at club level.
However, Vieira’s career stands out when you look at the complete picture. He was not just a dominant player for his clubs, but also on the international stage.
The Frenchman won both the World Cup and the European Championship with Les Bleus. That is something none of Carragher’s top three can match.
Furthermore, Vieira also won league titles in multiple countries, proving his ability to succeed in different environments and systems.
There’s never going to be a right answer in these debates, but for many Arsenal fans, Vieira belongs right at the top.
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