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Legendary Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira has admitted that he regrets not joining Real Madrid after the Gunners' 2003-04 Premier League-winning campaign.
Arsenal went on a historic unbeaten run in the English top tier that season and were dubbed 'The Invincibles' under legendary manager Arsene Wenger. Vieira played a crucial role for the north London outfit, recording three goals and five assists in 29 league appearances that term.
The former France international had the chance to join Real Madrid following his exploits that season but turned it down and remained at Arsenal. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez himself admitted in 2015 that the club missed out on securing Vieira's services, while Vieira has stated that he was close to joining Los Blancos (via The Mirror).
Speaking on the failed move, the former Arsenal superstar told Afrique Sports (via Madrid Xtra):
“I had no reason to leave Arsenal, I was comfortable there. But if I can go back in time, things would probably be different. Not joining Real Madrid is the regret of my career.”
After spending another year in north London, Vieira moved to Juventus in the summer of 2005. He stayed in Turin for only one season before moving to rivals Inter Milan the following summer, where he won three Serie A titles.
Vieira hung up his boots in 2011 after a final stint at Manchester City. The Frenchman is currently the head coach of Crystal Palace, who are 12th in the Premier League table at the moment.
"You want it? OK, fight" - Pep Guardiola makes emphatic claims ahead of Arsenal vs Manchester City
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has told Arsenal that they will need to fight tooth and nail to win the Premier League this season.
The Gunners sit atop the league table with a three-point lead over second-placed Manchester City. Mikel Arteta's side will look to increase the gap in their fixture against the Cityzens at the Emirates tonight (15 February)
Ahead of the encounter, the manager of last year's English champions has warned the north London outfit that his side will do everything in their power to defend the title. Guardiola said (via GOAL):
“The biggest motivation is that I don’t want to drop the Premier League just because we are not who we are. If they beat us because they are better than [us]. This is sport, I’ll be the first to congratulate them, as I’ve always done. But not because we are not there."
He added:
"You want it? OK, fight. Take it. It’s in our hands. We’ll defend this title until the last day. This is what I’d like. To fight to the maximum to try to retain the title. If we don’t, accept it. But we need to give our best."
