Fabregas hails Vieira influence http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/4985442.stm By Mandeep Sanghera Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has paid tribute to Patrick Vieira ahead of the London club's Champions League final against Barcelona on Wednesday. Vieira, 30, left the Gunners for Juventus last summer but his successor Fabregas says he has reaped the benefit of learning under his former team-mate. "Patrick was very helpful to me not only on the pitch but also off it," said 19-year-old Spain international. "I will always be grateful to him for what he did for me." Vieira spent nearly nine years at Highbury but, despite their domestic success, the Gunners always fell short in Europe during his time at the club. It is ironic that the club have reached their inaugural Champions League final in the first season after his exit and, in the process, overcame his Juventus side. Vieira was overshadowed by Fabregas during that game but the teenager is modest about his performance and insists the influence of the two years he spent playing under his former team-mate will have a long-lasting effect. He added: "As a person he is a fantastic guy and I will always remember the time that I spent with him on and off the pitch." Fabregas will be up against the club he left as a 16-year-old when he takes to the Stade de France pitch for the Champions League final. He says he left Barcelona in search of a tougher challenge and, while he still has strong ties with the Nou Camp outfit, he maintains there will be no room for sentiment as he attempts to topple the Catalan side. "Everyone was scared of leaving Barcelona as it is one of the best teams in the world so everyone was like 'there is nothing better than this so why should I leave even if I'm on the bench?'," said Fabregas. "I'm not like this. All I want is to work hard and play. I wasn't doing it by winning 20-0 or 30-0 every weekend. "I don't think you work hard for this and I thought the best decision was to come here." He has no doubts that he made the right move and confirmed: "No, I never thought I had made a mistake. I knew that it takes time to get the physical strength. "But fortunately the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believed in me and I showed him that I could be in the team. "At the moment, all I'm thinking about is Arsenal. All I want is to win this trophy for this club and the people who are in it and, of course, for Arsene Wenger and the fans because I believe that they deserve it." 小法布去開導開導亨利吧 :p -- http://www.pixnet.net/Gronkjaer --

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