Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira is one of the most powerful players to have ever played in the Premier League.
The World Cup winner dominated the midfield for years while playing for Arsenal and had some memorable battles against other iconic players in his position.
The modern game doesn’t really have players like Vieira anymore, but there are a number of incredible midfielders in the Premier League.
The Frenchman is a big fan of one of them – Declan Rice.
Patrick Vieira says Arsenal star Declan Rice is ‘one of the best around’
Arsenal smashed their transfer record to sign Rice from West Ham United in the summer of 2023.
The England international was already an outstanding player in East London, but he has taken his game to a whole new level since joining the Gunners.
Rice was originally brought in to play as a number six, but Mikel Arteta has mostly deployed him in a box-to-box role over the last 18 months.
That has worked like a charm, as Rice is a huge part of all the good things Arsenal do in every single game.
Patrick Vieira, who knows a thing or two about being a world-class midfielder, has had his say on Rice. It’s safe to say that he is impressed.
He told The Sun: “I’m a big fan of Rice. He’s a complete midfielder.
“When I watch him, I see he’s got this kind of mobility. He can go forward, he can win the ball, he’s really powerful and one of the best around.”
Declan Rice could do something that Patrick Vieira never did at Arsenal
Vieira is among Arsenal’s biggest legends.
The Frenchman helped the Gunners win three Premier League titles and four FA Cups during his time at the club.
However, what Vieira, like many other Arsenal greats, failed to achieve was winning the Champions League.
Rice helped Arsenal get into the semi-finals last season, and with Opta claiming that the Gunners are the favourites to go all the way, he could do what Vieira never did.
That would likely make him an Arsenal legend too.
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