PV4

The first Arsenal player whose name I knew was Ian Wright. "Wright8Gooner" was a username some bloke chose for the first Arsenal message board (yes those existed) back in the good old days, such was the power of his influence. I learned the "Ian Wright Wright Wright" song back in the 90's. (There was such a decade.)

The second was Patrick Vieira.

I won't draw this out. I just want to say that while I certainly appreciate the contributions and greatness of Thierry Henry to the success that Arsenal had, it has to be noted that before last season Wenger's Arsenal never won a trophy without Patrick Vieira.

I know that many many people who currently call themselves Arsenal supporters in the USA never saw PV4 play in an Arsenal shirt and thus have no real connection to him.

I also know that many many people in England who call themselves Arsenal supporters grew quite weary of Vieira's annual dalliance with a "bigger club" and hold both that and his current allegiance to MCFC against him.

To me, Vieira was the engine that drove the team forward, and even during Tony Adams' final years it was PV4 who was the real leader.

He had an amazing ability to break up an opposition attack and start Arsenal moving the opposite direction. He could control a match from deep in his own half. He was combative and sometimes ill-tempered.

But one thing about him--when he was on the pitch, the opposition rarely thought they could get away with anything. He had little tolerance for opposing players kicking his teammates.

All the love for Henry is deserved and I certainly have no small amount of affection for him, but when it comes to trophies at Arsenal, Vieira has to be ranked as the greatest player of the Wenger era and it isn't even really up for debate. PV4 was the most crucial piece to the puzzle.

The only constants in Wenger's "glory years" were Vieira and Bergkamp. The keeper, the back four, the midfield, and the strike force all changed from the 98 double winners to the 2005 FA Cup, but Vieira was always there. He's the one player Wenger has never managed to replace and don't give me that little homesick Catalan boy as your example. Vieira was a towering, intimidating presence.

Best player? Maybe it's someone else. Most important player? The numbers say it was Vieira.