On This Day – 16th September
Patrick Vieira made his debut for Arsenal on this day back in 1996, coming on as a first half substitute for Ray Parlour in a league match at home to Sheffield Wednesday.
The 20 year old was signed at Arsene Wenger’s insistence from AC Milan for £3.5 million. The French manager had put pen to paper on a deal to become Arsenal manager, but was still waiting for his contract in Japan as manager of Grampus Eight to come to an end.
Wenger was replacing Bruce Rioch, who had been given the boot in early August, just days before the start of the 1996/97 season. The Arsenal board had already earmarked the Frenchman as his replacement and he gave a bizarre pre-recorded video message to the Arsenal fans on the Jumbotron screens before the match.
Arsenal had fallen behind in the first half after Andy Booth latched on to a low through ball to shock the Highbury crowd. Three minutes later, the Frenchman came on for Ray Parlour and changed the game in Arsenal’s favour, making an instant impact in his Arsenal career.
It took Arsenal until the 57th minute to find an equaliser, with David Platt storming in to place a first time shot into the back of the net at the edge of the penalty area.
Ian Wright then scored a hat-trick to give Arsenal a comprehensive 4-1 victory and took the limelight.
Wright may have grabbed the headlines with his three goals but it was the languid, Frenchman who impressed most. In the next few years, Vieira would make the Highbury centre circle his own, dominating matches, fighting for every ball and making tough challenges.
Vieira’s last kick in an Arsenal shirt was the winning penalty in the shootout victory over Manchester United in the 2005 FA Cup Final. It was a fitting finale for a man who won the three League titles and three FA Cups in his eight years at the club.
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