When Arsenal signed the young French midfielder Patrick Vieira on August 14, 1996, the news generated few headlines outside of north London

He may have been a relative unknown upon his arrival from AC Milan, but by the time he left the Club in 2005 - in which his last act was to score the winning penalty in the FA Cup final - he was a legend.

Under Arsene Wenger's tutelage, Vieira developed into one of the world's finest midfielders and an inspirational captain, while he claimed two Doubles and was central to the 'Invincibles' season of 2003/04.

Vieira went on to make 406 appearances and scored 33 goals during his time in north London, and was arguably Wenger's most important signing.

Take a look at our picture gallery of the French midfielder and then read his profile.