Martin Odegaard shares who he thinks was better at Arsenal… Patrick Vieira or Robert Pires

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Arsenal have had some incredible midfield players over the years.

The likes of Cesc Fabregas, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla were all world-class players in their own rights.

However, two of the best midfielders of all-time at Arsenal were undoubtedly Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires.

The two French stars were key cogs in the early success the Gunners enjoyed under Arsene Wenger, and they’re both Arsenal legends in their own rights.

Taking part in a TikTok challenge for Stat Sports, Martin Odegaard has been tasked with answering a few difficult Arsenal-related questions, and he was asked to choose between Vieira and Pires.

As you can imagine, Odegaard struggled between these two, but eventually he opted for Vieira ahead of Pires, labelling the former Arsenal captain as a ‘legend’.

This is a very tough debate and one that we’re sure will divide opinion.

Technically, you could make a strong case for Pires being the better player, he had a much better touch and ability on the ball, but Vieira was probably the more well-rounded player.

Indeed, Vieira had it all. He was a leader, he was strong, he could tackle, he could score goals and he was brilliant at driving up the pitch.

For a long time, Arsenal couldn’t even replace Vieira, that’s how important he was to the team, and while Pires was utterly brilliant for Arsenal, you’d struggle to say that he was ultimately as important as Vieira to the Gunners’ success during that era.

Odegaard is spot on, Vieira is an absolute legend, and when all is said and done, he might just be the best midfielder to ever put on a red shirt in north London.

Regardless of who you prefer, you have to admit that these are two of the Premier League’s all-time greats who played a huge part in an important chapter in Arsenal’s history.