During his nine-year stint in the Premier League, Vieira established himself as a dominating box-to-box midfielder, noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play, an attitude that also helped him excel as captain of the club from 2002 until his departure in 2005.

He helped Arsenal achieve a sustained period of success during his time at the club, where he lifted four FA Cups and three league titles, including one unbeaten.

[17] On 10 August 1996, the Daily Mirror reported that Vieira was subject to a move to English club Arsenal, given personal terms with original suitors Ajax were not reached.

[26] Vieira's partnership with international teammate Emmanuel Petit the following season was instrumental in helping Arsenal complete a domestic league and cup double.

"[31] Towards the finishing straight of the campaign, Vieira helped Arsenal make ground on league leaders Manchester United and his card record had improved, "…with only one booking in the latter stages of the season".

It was feared that Vieira was prepared to turn his back on English football, as he felt victimised – Wenger, several Arsenal players and fans supported him publicly.

"[40] After a group stage match against Lazio in October 2000, Vieira claimed he was the target of racial abuse from Siniša Mihajlović, which UEFA subsequently launched an investigation into.

[43] Despite how mature his performances had become since Petit left, he criticised Arsenal's decision to sell him and Marc Overmars to Barcelona: "Of course it was good business but it was a big disappointment for me.

"[43] In May 2001, The Daily Telegraph reported that Manchester United was planning an "audacious" attempt to sign Vieira; manager Sir Alex Ferguson, a long-term admirer of the player, was given the green light by his board to make a bid.

"[45] The club refused to respond to his comments, but vice-chairman David Dein was privately irked at Vieira's agent, Marc Roger, for letting the situation become unsettling.

[54][55] Two months later, he was lauded by The Guardian correspondent David Lacey for his show against Newcastle United: "the Arsenal captain dominated the afternoon with a demonstration of tackling, control, awareness and movement that was exceptional even by his standards.

Vieira endured a troubling start to the campaign, as he was sent off against Manchester United in September 2003, banned for one match, and later fined £20,000 "for improper conduct in failing to leave the field of play following his sending-off".

[68][69] Following an ultimatum set by Wenger, who was "likely" to make an offer for West Ham midfielder Michael Carrick as his replacement, Vieira chose to stay at Arsenal.

[75][76] Arsenal fell to third as a result of losing 4–2 to United, but a twelve-game unbeaten run, culminating in a 7–0 home win against Everton, meant they ended the season in second place.

[86] Despite his performances dipping as the result of a persistent groin injury, and a reported training ground bust-up with teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović, Vieira helped Juventus retain the Scudetto, which was later stripped.

[96] On 8 January 2010, it was confirmed that Vieira was having a medical at Manchester City, and he would sign a six-month deal, where he would link up with former Arsenal colleagues Kolo Touré and Sylvinho, as well as former Inter manager Roberto Mancini.

[101] On 22 February 2011, Vieira scored the first two City goals in a 5–0 win in the FA Cup Fourth round replay against Notts County, and was awarded Man of the Match honours.

[103] He made an added-time substitute appearance in place of David Silva on 14 May, as Manchester City won the 2011 FA Cup Final with a 1–0 win over Stoke at Wembley.

[108] He helped France to victory in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, ending the tournament as joint top scorer with two goals, including the winner, a header, in the final against Japan.

[113] On 23 June 2006, his 30th birthday, Vieira took the captain's armband for the match in place of the suspended Zidane, and scored the first goal as France beat Togo 2–0 in the group stages of the 2006 World Cup; he also assisted Thierry Henry for the second.

[119] His last cap with the national team was on 2 June 2009 in a friendly match against Nigeria, and was not included by coach Raymond Domenech in France's squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Regarded by pundits as one of the best players ever in his position,[122] Vieira was a complete, powerful, tenacious and aggressive footballer, with outstanding physical, athletic and technical attributes, who was also known for his grace on the pitch when in possession of the ball.

[125] These attributes, in addition to his pace, strength, pressing ability and stamina allowed him to link up the defence with the attack effectively, and made him capable of playing anywhere in midfield.

[135] In May 2015, Vieira was interviewed to be the next manager of fellow Premier League club Newcastle United, an opportunity which both parties rejected, due to difference of policies.

[137] He was selected for the role by Director of Football Claudio Reyna, due to his familiarity with the structure of operations within the group, as well as his tactical knowledge, which was previously utilized by Jason Kreis on his scholar period in Manchester.

[146] On 4 December 2020, Nice announced that Vieira was no longer the manager of the club, after a run of five losses in a row in all competitions, and elimination from the group stage of the Europa League.

[154] Vieira was sacked by the club on 17 March 2023, after a twelve-game run without a win, including a three-game span without a single shot on target, left the team three points above the relegation zone.

[159] From 24 September to 7 December, the team went on an eight-game winless run, which fans blamed on a summer transfer window in which four 20-year-olds were signed for a combined fee of €53 million but struggled to perform.

[161] Vieira's young team struggled on the pitch as fans expressed hostility to the American owners and their business plan of developing new players for Chelsea.

In a global Nike advertising campaign in the run-up to the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, he starred in a "Secret Tournament" commercial (branded "Scorpion KO") directed by Terry Gilliam, appearing alongside football players such as Thierry Henry, Ronaldo, Edgar Davids, Fabio Cannavaro, Francesco Totti, Ronaldinho, Luís Figo and Hidetoshi Nakata, with former player Eric Cantona the tournament "referee".