Patrick Vieira reveals he was shocked when joining Arsenal in 1996 because it was ‘the opposite’ of the ‘really professional’ approach he was used to at Milan.
The retired midfielder came to San Siro very young in 1995 from Cannes and remained for one season before his transfer to Arsenal.
Speaking to The Overlap podcast, Vieira admits it was a bit of a culture shock to start training with his new Arsenal teammates.
“I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t have a clue about the Premier League, because in France the biggest League was Serie A,” Vieira told The Overlap.
“I arrived there, I was quite impressed by how unprofessional it was. I came from AC Milan, which had players arriving one or two hours before training, well-dressed, Costacurta was arriving with a suit and tie.
“They had lunch after training, some would sleep at the training ground before going home. It was really professional. That is where I really learned the job.
“Coming to Arsenal and it was the opposite. It was different.”
However, despite Ian Wright joking that Arsenal players could barely even manage to turn up on time, let alone in a suit and tie, it was a breath of fresh air for the young Vieira.
“The mentality was completely different and I loved it. It was relaxed, laid-back, it was all about what was going on the field, the passion and not thinking about tomorrow. We are in training, we give 100 per cent, there were mistakes, but always give 100 per cent.”
The France international returned to Serie A in 2005 for Juventus, then moved to Inter from 2006 until January 2010, concluding his career at Manchester City.