Patrick Vieira singled out Villarreal on Monday night, praising their football ahead of the 2026 Ballon d'Or gala in London. Speaking to Movistar+ España, he said he loves watching football and put the Spanish club among the teams he enjoys most.
Vieira did not stop there. He said Manchester City and Liverpool stand out in England because of the intensity they bring, while Villarreal appeal to him in Spain because they have Senegalese players and play very good football. He also said Spain now dominate because of the collective game they play, which he described as better than the rest.
The remarks land with extra weight because Vieira is not speaking as a detached observer. Born in Dakar in 1976, he won 107 caps for France, lifted the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, and became the face of Arsenal’s Invincibles in 2003/04 after winning three Premier Leagues and four FA Cups. His managerial path has since taken him through New York City, Nice, Crystal Palace, Strasbourg and Genoa, and he took charge of Senegal in August.
That link to Senegal matters here, but it is also where the story gets a little more complicated. Vieira praised Villarreal’s football even though his Genoa beat Marcelino’s side 3-1 in a 45-minute match at Real Oviedo’s centenary event on 31 July 2025, with Kambwala on the scoresheet for Villarreal before the hosts later held them to a 0-0 draw. The compliment was not based on a result. It was a judgment about how the team plays, and it came from a coach whose own team had already found a way past them.
What remains unanswered is the one detail Vieira left hanging: which Senegalese players he had in mind at Villarreal. But the larger point is already clear. Ahead of the Ballon d’Or gala, he used a public platform to frame Villarreal as more than a mid-table talking point — as a team with a style he respects, a connection he recognizes, and a place in the wider football conversation that he thinks is earned, not accidental.
