A biography for Patrick Vieirahasn’t been written yet.
“When you are 14, 15, 16, you can train every day in France, and sometimes you can train twice a day.”
“It's important not to lose focus; so many things can happen. People try to build this fire between the clubs. The heat is going to get more and more.”
“If you look at Arsenal today, I really enjoy watching them play - they play some really good football - but that is not enough to win football matches or to win competitions. But in our time, we were winning, and we had the strength to not play well but somehow manage to win the game 1-0.”
“You have some people who recognise the players or coaching staff, but there are a lot who don't have a clue, who look at us and ask, 'What sport are you doing?'”
“My commitment, and my desire to win the ball or make a tackle, that will never change. But you grow up. I'm not 20 any more.”
“I think football reflects our society. Our society changes. The evolution of society dictates the evolution of the game.”
“I sincerely think that firing Roger Lemerre was the easiest solution. There had to be a guilty party, and it was him. He was the ideal prey. He had his share of responsibility like everybody else, like the French FA who organised friendly matches at the other end of the world, but the actors - the players - have the greatest share of it.”
“I think when you move to a country like the U.S., you need to understand the culture, to understand how people see the game, and adapt yourself.”
“You train far more in France than in England. Here, we still see football as a game. Football is a job. There is still the mentality where training is at 11, you come in at 10:30, and when it is finished, you leave straight away.”