Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira was one of the best midfielders in the history of the Premier League, as were some of his teammates.
Vieira became an icon over a nine-year spell at Arsenal, winning three Premier League titles under Arsene Wenger before departing for Juventus in 2005.
The Frenchman eventually ended up at Inter Milan before finishing his career back in England, albeit with Manchester City.
It was at the Etihad Stadium where he played alongside some top talents as they started their project after changing ownership, meaning Vieira was partnered in midfield with the likes of Gareth Barry and Yaya Toure.
Vieira, who was the captain of the Arsenal Invincibles, has now compared one of his old Man City teammates with Gunners legend Dennis Bergkamp.
Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira compares David Silva to Dennis Bergkamp
Speaking to Man City club media, Vieira compared Bergkamp to playmaker David Silva, who shone at City and became a Premier League icon as a creative midfielder.
“David Silva? He was class, simple as that,” he stated.
“I didn’t play long with him but, for me, he was the team player.
“I think David Silva would want others to shine more than him. He was the Dennis Bergkamp of City.
“He would want to please his teammates more than he would want to please himself.
“Dennis was like that. He would prefer to assist rather than score the goal because he enjoyed that more.
“David gave a lot to his team rather than worry about himself. He was a team player.”
Arsenal’s history of creative midfielders with Dennis Bergkamp at the top
Silva was one of the best midfielders in Premier League history, but Bergkamp was arguably the best of anyone in his position to have graced the league.
Bergkamp’s technique and vision were unmatched, and whilst Arsenal have had other world-class attacking midfielders since, such as Cesc Fabregas and Mesut Ozil, many believe that Bergkamp was untouchable in his status as a playmaking genius.
READ MORE: Dennis Bergkamp’s best-ever Arsenal teammate
The combination of Vieira’s brutal power and dribbling ability, alongside Bergkamp’s creativity, helped Arsenal go Invincible, and it would be near-impossible for another set of midfielders to surpass the quality and legacy of the pair who thrived under Arsene Wenger.