“He is simply the best player in the world in his position,” Didier Deschamps told channel4.com in the summer of 2004. “He's a physical colossus and he gives Raymond Domenech a strong backbone to build his side around.”

High praise indeed, particularly coming from Deschamps, one of the finest defensive midfielders that ever played, and certainly one of the most decorated.

Vieira had a tough act to follow when Deschamps retired after Euro 2000, taking on the responsibility of becoming France’s new midfield anchor and ultimately captain. The Juventus ace had been groomed for the role for the previous three years, having made his debut for Les Bleus in a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in February 1997.

He gained invaluable experience during the 1998 World Cup, and memorably set up France’s third goal for then Arsenal teammate Emmanuel Petit after coming off the bench in the final against Brazil.

Vieira played as a first-choice midfielder alongside Deschamps during France’s successful Euro 2000 campaign. His powerful, influential displays saw him earmarked as the key man for the future of Les Bleus, and he was soon the focal point of Roger Lemerre’s team.

Outstanding during the qualifying campaigns for the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004, Vieira – like the France team as a whole – failed to replicate that form in the finals. Playing alongside Emmanuel Petit, Vieira could not prevent Les Bleus crashing out at the group stages in the Far East without scoring a single goal. Claude Makelele was his midfield partner in Portugal two years later, and though Vieira made an important contribution, he struggled with injury and an uninspired France side lost to Greece in the quarter-finals.

The Senegal-born star was handed the captaincy by Raymond Domenech in July 2004, as a revamped, youthful-looking team set its sights on qualification for the World Cup in Germany in 2006.

With many miles left in the tank, Vieira is expected to pass Marcel Desailly’s record of 116 international appearances before he hangs up his boots.

He had been tipped for a big future ever since making his breakthrough with Cannes as a leggy teenager in 1993. Following in the footsteps of Zinedane Zidane, another Cannes youth team product, Vieira captained the side in his first full season, 1994-95, aged 19.

He was snapped up by AC Milan in November 1995, but made just two appearances for the Italian club. Injury problems, plus the fact he had to compete for one of the three ‘foreigner’ spots in the Milan team, prompted him to join Arsenal for £3.5m when Arsène Wenger came knocking in 1996.

Vieira’s extraordinary ball control, technique and composure in possession helped him become an instant hit at Highbury. He made his debut as a first-half substitute against Sheffield Wednesday and transformed the match. The Gunners were 1-0 down when the giant Frenchman stepped onto the pitch and seized control of the match, helping Ian Wright score a hat-trick as the Gunners won 4-1. The Arsenal supporters saluted the new King of Highbury.

His superb partnership with Petit helped Arsenal win the domestic Double in 1997-98, while Vieira won a second title in 2002.

He inherited the captaincy after Tony Adams’ retirement and led the team to FA Cup glory in his first season with the armband. The following campaign, 2003-04, Vieira and Arsenal did not lose once in Premiership and Captain Pat raised the championship trophy for the first time as captain.

Frequently linked with a move to Real Madrid – especially in the summer of 2004 when only a dramatic 11th-hour change of mind saw him stay in North London – Vieira ultimately quit the Gunners for Juventus for £14m in July 2005, signing a five-year contract.

Fittingly, Vieira’s final kick for Arsenal was the winning penalty in the 2005 FA Cup final against Manchester United, the team that Arsenal and Vieira had developed a special rivalry with through the previous nine years.