Patrick Vieira could not hide his delight as David Villa accepted the MLS MVP Award for 2016.
The NYCFC Head Coach believes that his captain was the deserved recipient of the title following his 23 goals which fired the team to the MLS Playoffs.
Ever since Vieira arrived at the club at the start of the calendar year, David’s humility and passion for the game have blown the Frenchman away and it’s for these characteristics that Patrick believes the right man won.
Vieira told NYCFC.com: “I’m really pleased for him and for the football club – it’s a massive trophy in this country.
“To be voted MVP is a fantastic achievement and nobody deserves it more than David. I’ve been working with him every day and every day I see that same love and passion for the game.
“David is the perfect player that you want to bring from abroad because he’s a humble person. He played in Europe, he won the Champions League, he won the World Cup, he won the European Championships but he came to this club with humility and love for the game. He has time for all of his teammates.
“I remember the first time I met him when I came to this club we talked about what we wanted to achieve this year and I was so impressed with the desire he had to do well for this football club.
“He truly buys in to this project – he’s a really important part of our success and will continue to be in the future.”
Patrick believes that David’s achievements speak volumes for the work being undertaken on and off the field at NYCFC.
The Head Coach also touched upon the transfer business the club will be engaging in over the coming weeks and months.
“It’s a really young club and sometimes people forget that – getting into the Playoffs and having David as MVP is a big achievement,” Vieira reflected.
“This year was really good and we hope that next year will be even better.
“We lost Frank, we lost some other players as well and we have to bring in new players which will be important for us.
“We have to do better next year and we have to bring in players who can match our targets.
“We have different options on the table – you would not believe how many would love to play for NYCFC – we will have some difficult decisions to make.
“It will be important to bring in the right people, like David. People who want to come. People who want to work hard and are prepared to sacrifice themselves for the club.”
