( CNN ) -- Patrick Vieira will forever be known as a World Cup winner , but had the country of his birth acted quicker his destiny might have turned out rather differently . Vieira was a member of the France side that landed football 's greatest prize on home soil in 1998 , but having been born in Dakar , Senegal , the former Arsenal captain has often faced questions as to why he did n't play for the country of his birth . Notably from former midfielder rival Roy Keane who reportedly said in 2005 : `` It makes me laugh , players going on about how they are saving this country and saving that country but when they have the opportunity to play ... well , it 's probably none of my business . '' Vieira attributes his decision to play for les bleus partly to the Senegalese Football Federation 's failure to notice his burgeoning talent following his move to France as an eight-year-old . `` I did n't have anybody from the Senegalese national team who came to me and proposed for me to play in the national team so the question was never there , '' Vieira told CNN . He came on as a second-half substitute in the 1998 World Cup final against Brazil , delivering the pass for Emmanuel Petit 's third goal in the 3-0 victory over the reigning world champions at the Stade de France . And having won 107 caps for France between 1997 and 2009 , Vieira has no regrets about the decision he made . The 37-year-old arrived in France with his family , who were seeking a better way of life , and he remains forever grateful for the opportunity that the European nation presented him with . `` I enjoyed playing for the national team , the French national team , because I think France gave me a lot and gave my family a lot , so to wear the French national team shirt was really good and I wore it with pride , '' he said . `` It had never been a decision to choose between the French national team or the Senegalese national team because I was growing up in France and playing in the French youth national team so it was something really normal . '' Eligible to play for France through his grandfather , Vieira went on to become the the fifth most-capped Frenchman behind Lilian Thuram , Thierry Henry , Marcel Desailly and Zinedine Zidane . Along with Vieira , that quartet of players was key to France 's World Cup win in 1998 and the European Championship two years later . Senegal 's inability to spot Vieira as a youngster and secure his international future provides evidence of African football 's structural failings , argues the current head of Manchester City 's elite development squad . `` I think what African football needs is better organization , better structure , and I think after that we 'll help the players to be more professional when they 're coming to play for their national team , '' he said . `` And I think the federations have a massive responsibility on their shoulders because we know there is talent . `` When you look at the last five-to-six years , the number of players we had like Yaya Toure , Didier Drogba , Samuel Eto ' o , Kolo Toure , Salomon Kalou and Jay Jay Okocha -- I can give you hundreds of names . `` I think the structure around these players is not strong enough and I think if we do n't have that , it will take time [ for an African nation ] to win the World Cup . ''
Patrick Vieira says he was never offered the chance to represent Senegal . Vieira instead opted to play for France and was proud to do so . The former Arsenal captain feels African football needs to improve its organization .