Patrick Vieira has now admitted that there was one former Arsenal player who he expected to become even better than himself.
Patrick Vieira is an Arsenal icon.
The Frenchman was on the books with the North London club between 1996 and 2005, and in that time won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups, as he made over 400 appearances for the club.
The 47-year-old was club captain as the Gunners made history by winning the 2003/04 Premier League title without losing a single match. That side became known as the Invincibles due to this feat. Vieira recently reflected upon the achievement, along with a number of other Arsenal legends who were involved in that triumph.
After Vieira left he club, he left enormous boots to fill. Very few players in world football could match his presence, physicality, and energy in the middle of the park.
Patrick Vieira heaps praise on Arsenal nearly man Abou Diaby
However, the 107-cap former France international himself has now confessed that he believed that Abou Diaby was destined to be his successor at Arsenal. He also thought that the midfielder would become an even better player than he was himself.
Speaking on Stick to Football, Vieira stated: “I used to like Diaby at Arsenal. I think he was going to be even a better player, because I think he was more complete [than me], he was more technical, I think he was more fancy, he has more quality in the last thirty yards, and the injuries that he had really stopped his progression. Diaby was a really good one.”
Diaby joined Arsenal in January 2006, signing from French side Auxerre. His quality quickly became obvious. He was a powerful presence in the middle of the park, snapped into tackles, was an excellent passer, and could manoeuvre the ball out of congested areas.
However, in almost a decade on the books at the Emirates Stadium, he made just 180 appearances for Arsenal, across all competitions. Between the start of the 2011/12 campaign and the end of the 2014/15 season, when he left the club, Diaby could manage just 22 outings as recurrent injuries decimated his career.
Fitness issues continued to plague the 38-year-old at Marseille, and he retired in 2017, aged just 32. Including his 16 caps for France, he managed just 216 senior outings in his entire career.
Is Declan Rice the true heir to Patrick Vieira at Arsenal?
Diaby could have achieved remarkable things had his body been able to withstand the rigours and demands of elite level football. When fully fit and at his best though he was truly brilliant.
Declan Rice has now emerged as the eventual heir to Vieira under Mikel Arteta. Rice has been described as the most important Arsenal signing since Dennis Bergkamp joined the club, in the same year Vieira himself first signed for the Gunners.