After months of speculations, Patrick Vieira has left Major League Soccer and took a new challenge in Europe. Vieira resigned as New York City FC coach on Sunday, only to be confirmed as the new coach of Ligue 1 side, Nice. He will serve as a replacement for Lucien Favre, who left Nice to join Bundesliga’s Borussia Dortmund.
According to various sources, Patrick Vieira signed a three-year-deal with the French club. Nice confirmed the news on their official social media.
🚨 Officiel !
Patrick Vieira est le nouvel entraîneur de l’@ogcnice.#BienvenueCoachVieira
.https://t.co/3VADOEAyf6— OGC Nice (@ogcnice) June 11, 2018
“He has a very interesting experience of the highest level as a player, and he has now been coaching for a number of years,” – said Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere of Vieira for the club’s official website. “We think he is capable of taking our players forward. We remember the winner that he was on the pitch, and we hope he will be able to bring that culture here.“
“When we went to meet with him, I was quickly won over by him as a man and the way he spoke. We were looking for someone that we could be on a level with on the personal side of things. He was implicated in the discussions and huge amounts of humility pour out when he speaks.” –Rivere added.
Patrick Vieira will also bring his three assistants to Nice- Christian Lattanzio, Kristian Wilson, and Matt Cook – all of whom previously collaborated with him at Manchester City’s youth squad and NYCFC.
In the last couple of months, Patrick Vieira was linked to various European sides including Nantes and Arsenal, while publicly stating that he is ready to make the transition to Europe. Since joining NYCFC in 2016, Vieira has managed to make big things, taking a team that finished 17th in 2015 to a 2nd place finish in 2017. Under Vieira, NYCFC also had a great 2018 season start, currently sitting second in Eastern Conference.
