Football
Kevin Palmer 9y

Patrick Vieira agrees that he'd beat Roy Keane in a fight, but just barely

Patrick Vieira says he admires the honesty shown by his old adversary Roy Keane in his latest book, as he responded to the comments made by the former Manchester United skipper about their once fierce rivalry.

Irishman Keane suggested he may have come out second best if had been drawn into a fight with the towering Vieira in his autobiography "The Second Half," with the French World Cup winner offering his response to those comments.

"I haven't read it, but I have heard a lot about it," said Vieira in quotes appearing in the Daily Mirror. "If there was a fight, it would take a long time to beat him and I would end up with a few cuts. I don't think he would give up easily!

"I'm not surprised at all about how honest he has been in the book. That's because the way he wrote the book is the way he was as a player. He's not the kind of person to go halfway. He's either everything or nothing. I think the book is him."

Respect has grown between Keane and Vieira in recent years, with the pair working together as TV pundits and even taking part in a joint documentary looking back on their rivalry.

"We had similar qualities as players," said Vieira. "We were both determined, we wanted to win, and we were both leaders of our teams. That's why I always loved to play against him. We challenged ourselves, we battled, but we always retained respect for each other.

"At that time, Arsenal were building up a great team to challenge United, who were up there already. Maybe United and Roy weren't used to that kind of challenge.

"Our rivalry at that time was more with United than it was with Tottenham. It was good, but I don't miss playing now, because I played for a long time and I couldn't do it any more."

^ Back to Top ^