To celebrate 14 years since he arrived at the Club, we have resurfaced our interview with the former City man who sat down with mancity.com ahead of our 2023 FA Cup semi-final win over Sheffield United.
The legendary Premier League midfielder, who joined us from Inter Milan on this day in January 2010, played in every round of the competition 12 years ago en route to our first major honour in 35 years with Yaya Toure’s goal securing a 1-0 victory over Stoke in the final.
Since then, City have lifted 18 major honours including six Premier League titles – with the first league title coming a season after the success in the showpiece event against the Potters.
In total, Vieira made 46 appearances for City – scoring six goals in all competitions, with three arriving in the 2011 run to the final.
And the Frenchman revealed lifting the FA Cup was his fondest memory in sky blue.
“The favourite moment [at City] will be of course the FA Cup,” he said.
“I think that just took Manchester City to a different level and allowed the football club to be more ambitious.
“Sometimes the first trophy is always the difficult one and then you can build from there. But more than that I think it’s about the players that took the standing of hard work, of belief and the ambition to a different level.
“And I think that allowed the club to be where they are today.”
City’s 2023 FA Cup campaign saw us lift the trophy for the seventh time in our history, the middle piece to the Club’s first Treble.
In the prestigious competition, City eliminated Chelsea, Arsenal, Bristol City, Burnley, Sheffield United and Manchester United in the first ever all-Manchester final.
The Clarets, of course, are managed by Club legend Vincent Kompany, who captained us to 10 major honours during his 11 years at the Etihad Stadium, following his switch from Hamburg in August 2008.
After three years at the heart of our defence, the Belgian lifted his first trophy alongside Vieira at Wembley with Yaya Toure’s thunderbolt on 74 minutes enough to beat Tony Pulis’ side in London.
And the 1998 World Cup winner paid tribute to the colossal centre-back and the rest of the dressing room which were crowned FA Cup champions under Roberto Mancini.
He added: “That was a really good moment because the group of players that were inside the dressing room were unbelievable, really good human beings.
“From Micah [Richards], from Joleon Lescott, from Vincent Kompany, from Nigel De Jong, it was a really good group of players, with a really good togetherness.
“And at that time, City was a family. A family football Club.”
