Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Jack Rosser

Arsenal Invincible Patrick Vieira and Man United legend Wayne Rooney inducted into Premier League Hall of Fame

Patrick Vieira and Wayne Rooney have become the latest legends to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.

Vieira captained Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ and won three Premier League titles during 11 seasons with the north London club.

Rooney, meanwhile, is the second-highest scorer in Premier League history and won five titles with Manchester United.

Vieira and Rooney were inducted through a public vote and become the ninth and 10th players named in the Premier League Hall of Fame. They join the likes of Eric Cantona, Steven Gerrard, Alan Shearer, Roy Keane and Dennis Bergkamp.

“Being inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame is a fantastic achievement," said Crystal Palace manager Vieira. "When I received the news, I thought about being a young boy playing in Senegal, or in a suburb of Paris.

Patrick Vieira and Wayne Rooney have joined their fellow Premier League legends in the Hall of Fame (Manchester United via Getty Images)

"To be there with the best players in the Premier League, the best league in the world, is bigger than what I was ever thinking about. To have my name around those players makes me proud and makes me realise how good I was.

“It’s not bad company to join. I was lucky to play at the same time as some of them, of course including Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, so to share the stage with them makes me realise I had a really good career.

“What really makes me happy and proud is when your name is mentioned by new, up-and-coming holding midfielders as an example of how they would like to play.”

Rooney, now manager of Championship strugglers Derby, said: "I have so many brilliant memories from my years playing for Everton and Manchester United, and I’m really proud of what we achieved. To enter the Hall of Fame is very special for me personally and I’m grateful to be recognised."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.