With league titles in Serie A and the Premier League to go with a Euro and World Cup title, Patrick Vieira has done a lot of winning in his playing days.
The former Arsenal and Inter Milan star hasn’t lost yet at New York City FC, his side carrying the distinction of playing in a thrilling win at Chicago and home draw versus Toronto FC.
[ MORE: Premier League Playback – Title run is a two-horse race ]
Surely many think Vieira has come to Major League Soccer simply to prove his merit as a manager, having not been at the helm of a top-flight club since retiring in 2011.
That’s not so, says the 39-year-old, in a lengthy and interesting profile on MLSSoccer.com (and obviously we know the site has an interest in saying so):
“If it works for the next 10 years, I’d be more than happy to stay. If I stayed here for 10 years and we win year after year, I’d stay no problem at all. [Failure] is part of the job as a coach. It’s part of the pressure – you have to do well. If I do well, I would be more than happy to stay.
“I don’t have an ambition to go. People say, ‘Oh, he’s just coming here for a few years.’ For me to say it’s wrong, it would be a waste of time,” he continues. “I don’t have anything to prove to anybody on that side. The fact is that I’m coming here and am really happy here because I’m really fascinated with this project. That’s the reason why I signed the three-year contract here.
“If I don’t get sacked before then,” Vieira adds with a smile, “I will be here for the three years easy.”
As our own Andy Edwards touched on here, Vieira is showing a creative streak through two matches as an MLS boss and his team has shown plenty of excitement going forward. If his cluttered center midfield does the trick on the postage stamp field at Yankee Stadium, he’ll certainly draw interest from abroad.
Yet he also was rumored for several other jobs overseas before coming to New York. As the league grows, and his rep with it, could Vieira stay Stateside even longer than expected? It feels unlikely, but I’m not here to call the man a liar. Earlier in the piece, he claims the league’s roster rules are interesting in a good way. How long before he hates them?
We kid, MLS. WE kid.
