Source: speedy-g.blogspot.com

Global football is a game of cliches. Just listen to any match commentary, read any chatboard or scan a blog or two and you will see them jump out: "unlucky" is a good one, or "game of two halves" is another classic. But one stands alone as a sign of hope, laziness, or just plain ignorance all rolled into one: "The New Vieira".

Since Patrick Vieira burst on to the scene in late 1996 after moving from Milan to Arsenal for a paltry £3.5 million (a greater sum then than it would be now, but not a bad investment for a player that delivered three Premiership titles and assorted cups along the way). Vieira had emerged at Cannes as a rising talent a few years earlier, but struggled at Milan. No one doubts he blossomed into one of two or three of the most dominant players of his generation in the nine years he spent at Highbury, hence the seeming need among the game's observers to dub each new midfielder with any hint of toughness "the New Vieira".

But how widespread has this meme become?

A quick Google search reveals the following list, of which only a few were tongue-in-cheek comparisions:

Momo Sissoko	Denilson
Cesc Fabregas	Abou Diaby
Salif Diao	Mac van Bommel
Johan Djouru	John O'Shea
Mattieu Flamini	Yoann Folly
Stephen Appiah	Jermaine Jenas
Olivier Dacourt	Eric Djemba-Djemba
Alexandre Song	Igor Biscan
Mohammed Diarra	Pape Bouba Diop
Jeff Whitely

Some of these are Arsenal players (Flamini, Fabregas, Diaby, Song, Djouru), indicating an obvious need for Arsenal fans to find a replacement in their hearts and on the field. Interestingly, only five of the 19 here are white players of European descent. I am not sure what conclusion to draw from this as most comparisons to Vieira seem to have been due to a player's perceived "hardness," athleticism and pontential command of midfield. Eight of the 19 here are African by birth, possibly also summing up some characteristic fans perceive as neccesary to replace Vieira, Senegalese by birth and French by nationality.

At any rate, fans seem to need to fill this void, and did even before Vieira moved away from the English stage at Highbury to a less visible role at Juventus. Now rumblings are beginning to be heard about the "Next Henry". Theo Walcott is one recipient of that badge even before he has turned 17, and before Henry has jumped ship, if he even does. Others, such as Henri Camara and Arsenal youngster Arturo Lupoli, seem to have been tagged with the title as well, but Walcott, with his role as a winger, is probably most apt to live up to the title.

One last question: of all these pretenders, who probably is the next Vieira? Momo Sissoko is the name that comes up most when scanning for serious comparisons. Whoever it is can look forward to punters using their name as a benchmark for comparison of rising talent somewhere down the road. Of all the awards in global football, perhaps this is the best indicator of overall impact.