DESPITE his immense talent, Fabio Vieira had to fight to prove people wrong.
First, there were the coaches within the famed Porto academy, who Vieira joined when he was just eight-years-old, that questioned both his mentality and physicality.
In meetings they would compare the midfielder – currently standing at just 5ft 7in – to a beam of light far too often eclipsed in testing moments when his teammates needed him most.
Then, having risen into the Porto first team in June 2020, it was the manager Sergio Conceicao who publicly criticised Vieira’s emotional stability and footballing toughness, as well as his tactical naivety and commitment.
And yet, for all of these apparent ‘weaknesses’, Vieira is leaving Porto and his native Portugal as one of the most technically gifted players the club and country have ever seen.
It is why Arsenal and Mikel Arteta have taken the plunge to bring the 22-year-old to north London.
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In search of a creative midfielder, the Gunners have beaten the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham and Real Madrid to land one of the best creative youngsters in all of Europe.
Vieira was born to a humble family in the Santa Maria da Feira region, just 15 miles from the football-obsessed city of Porto, and was first spotted at a youth tournament in the Algarve.
There were other clubs in the running, but Vieira has previously admitted Porto was the easy choice because it was “close to home”, sparking memories of sitting in the Estadio do Dragao as a young boy with his father.
His childhood was difficult however, his parents struggled financially to provide Vieira with the platform to make the most of his raw talent.
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He was driven to academy training by the dad of his best friend and current Porto right-back Joao Mario. Without these lifts, many say he may not have made it professionally.
Vieira was labelled by some of his former coaches as “rebellious”, owing to his challenging upbringing and frustration at the limitations in his own game.
The breakthrough moment ironically came against one of Arsenal’s London rivals as an 18-year-old Vieira scored in a 3-1 win over Chelsea in the 2019 Uefa Youth League final.
Soon after, Vieira was fast-tracked into the first team before making his debut for Portugal U21s.
It was in this period and the years that followed that people saw the real Vieira.
Speak to those closest to his development and they will tell you there is no player in Europe right now more decisive in the final third of the pitch.
Last season, as well as seven goals, Vieira notched 14 assists – which was the best per minutes ratio across the top European leagues.
Conceicao never played him as a true No10, instead embracing his inner Pep Guardiola to use him as a false striker or inverted winger.
As a floating playmaker, given the freedom to sliver into gaps, Vieira’s final pass has been described as “lethal” and “rare”.
Only Lionel Messi played more through balls per 90 minutes in Europe’s top leagues than Vieira in the 21/22 campaign.
Perhaps not a comparison Arsenal fans will be too overjoyed with, but many see him as a Mesut Ozil 2.0 – a silky smooth magician with ice in his veins, rather than the later model of a sulky, moody German with suspicious injuries to his back.
Others say he is more in the mould of Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva, absent for large parts, waiting in the shadows, before springing into life in seconds.
For all this promise and excitement, there remain doubts over how quickly Vieira will adapt to life in the Premier League.
He is a quiet, introverted character, yet to fully mature, and who responds to a manager’s love and affection rather than Jose Mourinho-style insults and mind-games.
At first glance, he is the complete opposite of his legendary north London namesake, the towering, powerful, intimidating Frenchman and Invincibles skipper who never backed down from a confrontation.
Although like Patrick Vieira, he is said to occasionally be “emotionally volatile” in high-pressure situations.
But Arsenal will know exactly what they are investing in, a star in the making who thrives when let loose from tactical chains and encouraged to play off the cuff and create from nothing, something the club’s attack have seriously lacked in recent years.
And unlike Ozil, there is a confidence that Vieira has the determination once more to prove those doubters wrong and adapt not only to Arteta’s high-pressing, high-energy Arsenal set-up, but also life on the biggest stages.
