Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira has admitted he should have left the club immediately after their unbeaten Premier League title-winning season in 2004 to join Real Madrid. The French midfielder, who spent nine years at Highbury, revealed that he turned down the Spanish giants due to concerns about how they treated Claude Makelele.
Speaking in 2010 after signing for Manchester City, Vieira said: 'It was complicated at Madrid. I was suspicious. The lack of recognition for Makelele over there scared me. I was scared it would happen to me. But I should have gone there. Today I don’t regret the career that I have had but if I could have changed one thing, it would be that. To go to Madrid.'
Vieira remained at Arsenal for one more season, scoring the winning penalty in the 2005 FA Cup final against Manchester United, before joining Juventus for £13million. He recalled that manager Arsene Wenger had previously blocked his moves but eventually gave him the green light: 'There were years when Arsene said to me: ‘No, you are not leaving’. When in 2005 there was an offer from Juventus, I was in the Bahamas. When I came back, Arsene said to me: ‘There is an offer from Juve, what do you want to do?’ I understood that he was saying: ‘If you want to leave, leave’.'
Vieira spent only one season at Juventus under Fabio Capello, where he was tasked with shadowing Demetrio Albertini in training. He then moved to Inter Milan, winning three consecutive Serie A titles in four years. The 2004-05 Arsenal team remains the only Premier League side to go an entire season unbeaten.
