The boss

His dominating displays at the heart of the Arsenal and France midfield have made Patrick Vieira one of the most coveted players in European football.

French midfielder Patrick Vieira (R) is challenged by Portuguese midfielder Costinha during the Euro-2000 semi-final match between Portugal and France at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels, 28 June 2000.

A modest yet confident man, he played a part in the 1998 World Cup final and was instrumental in France's third goal against Brazil, laying of the pass for Petit who sealed a memorable 3-0 victory.

At the 2000 European Championships he was vital part of the team, playing six matches (including the wins over Spain and Portugal) as France again triumphed in a major tournament.

A mountain of a man at 1.91m and 82kg, Vieira was born in the former Portuguese colony of Senegal.

His first experience in French football came in 1993 with southern French side Cannes (where Zinedine Zidane had made his mark) and Vieira did not take long to establish his own reputation as a promising midfielder.

Italian giants AC Milan saw Vieira as the ideal man to bolster their midfield and brought the 19-year-old to the Serie A in 1995, and although Vieira began his Italian sojourn mainly on the bench he was part of the squad that won the Italian title in his first season.

The French connection

Arsenal's Patrick Vieira is tackled by an unidentified Inter Milan player during their Champions League match 17 September, 2003 at Highbury Stadium, London. AFP PHOTO/ODD ANDERSEN

After three years in Italy he caught the eye of Arsene Wenger, the French manager of English giants Arsenal, and he decided to bring the rapidly maturing Vieira to London.

Although the young midfielder had a short fuse which often got him into trouble with referees his first season with Arsenal was a success as Arsenal swept to a rare English Championship and FA Cup double.

Vieira gradually matured into one of the most respected midfielders in the game, able not only to break up opposition attacks with shuddering tackles but also get forward to score excellent goals.

In the footsteps of Deschamps

He made his international debut for France at the age of 20, playing in the 2-1 win over Holland. Only the availability of another great defensive midfielder Didier Deschamps and Arsenal team-mate Emmanuel Petit denied Vieira a regular start.

The 2002 World Cup was a disaster for everyone associated with France and their title defence crumbled with a first round elimination.

France's Patrick Vieira (L) kicks the ball ahead of Brazil's Leandro (R) during the semi-final of the FIFA's Confederations Cup match between France and Brazil in Suwon, 45km south of Seoul, 07 June 2001. France beat Brazil 2-1. AFP PHOTO/KIM JAE-HWAN

French midfielder Patrick Vieira (L) and Senegalese defender Papa Bouba Diop fight for the ball during their 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan opening match in Seoul, 31 May 2002. Senegal beats France 1-0. AFP PHOTO/Jimin LAI

He then set a new French record of 44 consecutive international appearances in October 2002 and another bright spot was Arsenal's drive to both the English championship and FA Cup earning a lucrative contract extension until 2007.

He is now being pushed for his job by Chelsea's Claude Makele and AS Roma starlet Olivier Dacourt but his contribution towards Arsenal's spectacular run to another English title in 2004 will probably keep him in Santini's starting eleven.