Vieira: I may regret not joining Real Madrid, but I am really happy at Arsenal

In an exclusive interview, Genoa head coach Vieira reviewed the "past" between his playing days and Real Madrid, and expressed his views on the training of young players in today's football, Arsenal's championship prospects and the current situation of Spanish football.

As the "godfather" of the Golden Boy Award, how do you evaluate Douai and young talents like Yamal?

I think talented young players need support. I mean, they need to be trusted to express themselves. I think we as a club have to create a positive environment for them to learn and allow them to make these kinds of mistakes and learn from them. I think Douai is the best of the best. Douai showed all his talents in the Champions League. Of course, apart from Yamal, he is one of the best young players in Europe at the moment, if not the best.

How would you compare a team-building model like Chelsea's, which relies on signings, and Arsenal's, which relies on youth training?

I think they are all different. When you look at the project at Chelsea, there's extraordinary talent there and they've brought players in from all over the world. When you look at Arsenal's program, there is special talent coming out of the academy. So these are different projects and I don't think one is better than the other. Young players need to really feel that they are part of the project and they must be given the space to express themselves.

How do you feel about Arteta's current team compared to Wenger's Arsenal when you were playing? Do they have a chance to win the championship this year?

I think over the past three or four years, Arsenal are getting closer and closer to becoming a winning team. And this year, given the investment they've made, they're even closer. So I think they're going to be really close to winning the championship this year. I don’t think it’s just about one player, I think it’s part of Arsenal’s DNA. When I see the team play, when I see Arteta's passion on the sidelines, I can see the competition and the desire to win. I think this year, with the signings they've made, they have a very good chance of winning the title again.

Real Madrid had long wanted to sign you. Looking back now, do you regret not transferring?

In football sometimes you just make a decision. You have an opportunity and then you make a choice.我当时在阿森纳太开心了。 Everything is very good. I felt like I was at home and I didn't want to leave at that moment. If I look at my career again, that was probably one of my regrets at the time, not going to Real Madrid. Real Madrid called and I had a good conversation with the president, but for various reasons it didn't happen. That might be something I would regret, but even so I would say I was too happy at Arsenal to leave.

You have redefined the role of the defensive midfielder. How do you see this position evolving?

I don’t know if I was the first, but I think I was part of that generation of defensive midfielders where we did more than just win the ball back. In England, you had Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes, Keane, and I think that generation of defensive midfielders did more. They do more than just the defensive part of the game. I'm a big fan of Rice and I think he's a complete midfielder. If you look at Rodri of Manchester City, he is one of the best players, won the Ballon d'Or, he is a different type of defensive midfielder.

What advice do you have for developing young players today?

I was lucky enough to be captain of Cannes at the age of 19, and what that experience helps me today is that I know what a young player needs to thrive. I'm lucky that I have a coach who's brave enough to push me to the line immediately without fear that I might make a mistake. Nowadays we are pushing young players earlier because economic factors are also starting to have an impact on clubs, probably especially in France, where they need to sell players and in order to sell them they have to be showcased. And those players may not be ready. For a young player, when he is in a professional team, if he does not have enough playing time, then it is very important for him to go to the reserve team to play one, two, or three games a month, because playing a full 90-minute game is crucial to the development of young players.

How do you evaluate Spanish football today?

Spain is an example of how to educate young people. They are good, smart players who know how to play football. No one plays like Spain right now. I say it and fans all over the world say it too. There is no doubt about it. Yamal is in the lead but there are a lot of very good players and a great technical team.