They were born four years and 2,788 miles apart, but the careers of Patrick Vieira and Steven Gerrard seem destined to be forever intertwined.
Saturday's clash between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa pits the two Premier League greats against each other in the Selhurst Park dugout, opening a second chapter in a story which saw them go toe-to-toe on 15 occasions in the 2000s when they were considered among the best midfielders on the planet.
Twelve of those battles came when Vieira's Arsenal met Gerrard's Liverpool, with both men being the metaphorical heartbeats of their respective teams.
Vieira did not become Arsenal captain until 2002 and Gerrard Liverpool's until 2003, but both were established as leaders for their clubs well before then. That neither man was ever substituted in their 12 collisions speaks volumes of their importance to two of England's biggest clubs, and both hold legendary status at the Emirates and Anfield respectively for life and beyond.
Steven Gerrard and Patrick Vieira shake hands after their last Liverpool v Arsenal match against each other, in the Premier League clash at Highbury in May 2005
Crystal Palace manager Vieira welcomes Gerrard's Aston Villa to Selhurst Park on Saturday
Gerrard celebrates Ollie Watkins' goal on his debut as Aston Villa manager last weekend
Their styles were similar too, certainly in the early years of their clashes. Gerrard eventually became more of a No 10 under Rafa Benitez and then a deep-lying playmaker later in his career, but in his early years he was a marauding, tough-tackling, box-to-box midfielder - just like Vieira.
When they went head-to-head, your eyes were drawn to both of them - and theirs to each other. Neither man was afraid of a challenge and neither man backed down. It made for thrilling viewing.
Given that Liverpool did not finish above Arsenal in the Premier League table in any of the six seasons that Vieira and Gerrard went head-to-head, with the Gunners winning two titles in that time, it may come as a surprise to learn that Gerrard had the better record when the two met as players.
In fact, the Englishman had something of a curse over the Frenchman in the first few years of their rivalry. Perhaps because Gerrard, at 6ft 1in, was probably the only midfielder in the early 2000s who could match 6ft 4in Vieira's physicality. The smaller Roy Keane, of course, found other ways to combat his old foe.
Gerrard steams into a challenge on Vieira during the 2002 Community Shield
Vieira holds off Gerrard during Arsenal's 4-2 win over Liverpool at Highbury in April 2004
