West Ham United midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate has no problem being compared with Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.
Both were born in Dakar, Senegal, but travelled through Europe to gain their footballing education as teenagers in various countries before ending up in the Barclays Premier League.
"When I started playing in Belgium I played 10 matches and people began comparing me with Patrick Vieira,' Kouyate told the Daily Mail. "It was an immense pleasure to be compared to such a fantastic player because he was a role model for us Senegalese and an inspiration.
"When he showed how good he was, he made us dream and aspire to achieve similar things. I know it will be tough. Now it is up to me that I deserve the comparison.
"To do that, I need to give the best to my team. I hope to achieve just a bit of what he achieved. I know it will be difficult. It is now up to me to show my qualities and play like I can."
