Biography

Former footballer; who played for Cannes (1993-1995), AC Milan (1995-1996), Arsenal (1996-2005), Juventus (2005-2006), Inter Milan (2006-2010), and Manchester City (2010-2011).

Won 107 caps and scored 6 goals for France between 1997 and 2009. World Cup winner in 1998 & European Championship winner in 2000. He also played in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup tournaments.

Vieira's family moved to Paris, France, when he was 8 years old. He didn't return to Senegal until 2003.

Honours with Arsenal: Premier League (1998, 2002, 2004), FA Cup (1998, 2002, 2003, 2005), Community Shield (1998, 1999, 2002, 2004). Honours with Inter Milan: Serie A (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010), Supercoppa Italiana (2006, 2008), UEFA Champions League (2010). Honours with Manchester City: FA Cup (2011).

Succeeded legendary defender Tony Adams as Arsenal captain after his retirement in 2002, remaining captain until he joined Juventus in 2005.

We [himself and Roy Keane] had similar qualities as players. We were both determined, we wanted to win, and we were both leaders of our teams. That's why I always loved to play against him. [...] Despite the rivalry, there has always been respect between us. We challenged ourselves, we battled, but we always retained respect for each other.

There is racism in football, as there is in normal life, but I have never experienced any racism myself the whole time I've been in England. There's a special tolerance here in London. And Spain? Well, what happened to Thierry [when Henry was insulted by Spain manager Luis Aragonés] and to Ashley [Cole] and the others while playing for England, was a disgrace. But you have to ask yourself this: do you stop your dream of going to Spain because of some stupid people? The answer is no.

[on founding a football academy in Senegal] It was important for me to reconnect with Senegal, to go back and start a project there. I wanted to do something for the country and to use football - everyone loves football there - as a means to educate kids. They have to learn that only hard work can bring them success. At first there were kids at the institute who could not read or write. Now there is progress. They can read books and write stories - and then play football. We tell them how hard it is to become a professional footballer. Perhaps only one or two of them will succeed. That's why their education matters. We pay for them to come to university in Europe. They can then go back to Senegal to run businesses and to make a better future.

I don't know my Dad. This is a part of my life I don't want to talk about.

Ruud van Nistelrooy is a cheat and a coward who is sneaky in the way he goes about fouling other players. Everyone thinks he is a nice guy but, in fact, he's a son of a bitch. He has a history of incidents that all too often have gone unnoticed. He has punched Freddie Ljungberg and elbowed Lauren. At Arsenal, we hated him and had real reason to do so. He's a great player, but everything about him annoys me. I was sent off at Old Trafford because of him. I got shafted. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil. He tried to stamp on me and then he made more of the challenge than he should have done. I am not blaming the referee. He got shafted too.