Best Central Midfielder 1: Patrick Vieira
Prior to Arsene Wenger's arrival at the club, the links between Arsenal and France had been steadily building with the acquisition of the imposing and powerful Patrick Vieira from Milan for a bargain price of
£3.5 million in 1996. Vieira would go on to become synonymous with the club, initially for his tendency to see red and vacate his matches early, and later becoming a dependable calming influence as the determined captain of Arsenal in the 2000s. Vieira's arrival was the beginning of a wave of French talent to arrive on British shores and find homes in North London, but none were quite like Vieira, whose impressive stride and hard tackling made him an immediate Arsenal favourite, alongside his tendency to score long-range efforts. But, as time grew on, he adapted into a defensive-minded midfielder that would help shore up Arsenal's defence and allow the creative wingers and striker the freedom they desired to cause havoc for the opposition defenders. Vieira was the inspirational leader of the Invincible side, and throughout his time at Arsenal would receive three Premier League winners medals and four FA Cup victories, as well as being a consistent pick in the PFA Team of the Season. He would often have to share a place in that team alongside his main rival in the Premier League, Manchester United's captain Roy Keane, with the two hot-headed midfielders creating many back-page headlines every time the clubs would clash. Vieira made 406 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 34 goals, and will always hold a special place in the hearts of Arsenal fans that saw their team transform in the late 90s from Premier League hopefuls into a team that on their day could defeat the best the world could offer. Vieira would arguably have the distinction of captaining the best team in world football at one point, which shows the successful stature of the awesome Frenchman.
Other contenders: Emmanuel Petit, Gilberto Silva