Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has shared his verdict on his iconic Premier League rivalry with Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.
Keane and Vieira’s bitter feuds on and off the pitch are now part of English folklore, with the two midfielders adding fuel to Arsenal and United’s immense rivalry in the late nineties and early 2000s when the two sides were the dominant forces in the Premier League.
Red cards, fights and tussles were regular occurrences when Arsenal and United met during this period of the Premier League under Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, with Keane and Vieira usually the players igniting conflict on the pitch.
And Keane has now given his side of the rivalry and his honest thoughts on taking on Vieira.
Keane reveals admiration and respect for Arsenal legend Vieira
Speaking on Stick to Football, the former United and Republic of Ireland international revealed an admiration he now has for Vieira, with Keane noting that he respected the Arsenal midfielder for not playing dirty.
Indeed, with the dust now long settled, it’s pleasing to see the pundit now give Vieira the respect the Arsenal legend deserves surrounding their famous battles, given how bitter Keane has come across on the subject in recent years.
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Keane said: “There were a few battles and you would lose out on a few. When players come along, like Patrick, they would bring the best out of you, that is what the game is about, you had to bring your best game, your A-game, unless you wanted to be found out.
“Who won more battles? It’s very difficult [to judge], Patrick had some good days and I had some good days, I certainly enjoyed the clashes, I never had any issues with Patrick. I had issues with the midfielders who were sneaky or up to no good, but the battles I had with Patrick were pretty honest battles, there was nothing sneaky about it, it was very much I hit you, you hit me, and we get on with it.”
Mutual respect between Keane and Vieira is a warm sight to see
Footballers are often reluctant to let grudges go, especially when certain rivalries between players are as big as what Keane and Vieira endured in the early years of the Premier League.
Yet seeing the pair now have a mutual respect for each other is a warm sight to see, with Keane’s comments highlighting just how good a player Vieira really was during his time as Arsenal’s captain.
Keane and Vieira’s rivalry is something we might not see again in the Premier League given the direction the sport has gone in, and for Arsenal and United fans, they were treasure what they saw over 20 years ago.