The rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United at the turn of the century was one of the greatest that English football has ever seen, with the animosity between the two sides best summed up with the battles between their two captains.
Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira were two of the best central midfielders in the Premier League history, with their leadership on the pitch cementing their status as all-time greats. There was no shortage of titanic duels between the pair down through the years as their teams duked it out for the title.
While their playing days are now well behind them, that type of competitiveness never truly leaves you.
Patrick Vieira throws cheeky Roy Keane dig
Patrick Vieira has appeared on BT Sport's What I Wore, looking back at the various stages of his career.
When asked by interviewer Andrew Mensah about his rivalry with Manchester United and Roy Keane, he couldn't help but throw a cheeky dig at his former rival.
#WhatIWore: @OfficialVieira
🏆 Winning the World Cup
🤬 Battles against Keane
🔴 Invincible with Arsenal
🦅 Pride managing Palace
We're celebrating a true legend of the game on his birthday, Patrick Vieira 🙌
Made with @classicshirts 👕 pic.twitter.com/PHHiD3S5ym— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) June 23, 2022
Vieira: They were the team to beat. That was passion, that was competitiveness, and I don't want to use the word hate, but it was love and hate...
I loved the way he was on the field. There was a massive respect, I admire him as a captain.
Of course I knew that was one of the battles to try to win when you are on the field.
Mensah: Did you know if you overcame him, you probably win the game?
Vieira: Yeah, and it happened really often.
Mensah: Are you better than him?
Vieira: Much better than him. I would say much better than him, yes.
Fantastic.
Keane and Vieira have appeared together on punditry duties on a number of occasions down through the years, most recently during ITV's Euro 2020 coverage.
While they have more of a personal relationship now, it's great to see that their rivalry hasn't softened over the years.
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