Emmanuel Petit
Former footballer
Emmanuel "Manu" Petit (born 22 September 1970) is a French former football player, who played his club football for
Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea. He represented France at international level, and scored the third goal in
France's 3-0 victory in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final. Born in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, Petit began his
career at minor club ES Argues, before being signed by Arsène Wenger's AS Monaco at the age of 18. He made his
debut soon after and played in the 1989 French Cup final. Petit became a regular at Monaco, at left back or centre
back; in 1991 he won the Cup with Monaco, and also played in the 1992 European Cup Winners' Cup final
(which Monaco lost to Werder Bremen). In 1996-97, his final season at Monaco he captained his side to the League 1
title. Petit joined Arsenal in June 1997 £2.5, where he was reunited with his former Monaco manager, Arsène Wenger.
Wenger switched Petit from centre-back to defensive midfielder, and partnered him with fellow Frenchman Patrick
Vieira. The French duo formed a midfield partnership which brought instant success, as Petit won the Double with
Arsenal in his very first season, clinching both the Premier League title and the FA Cup. Altogether, in the three
seasons in his Arsenal career, Petit made 118 appearances and scored 11 goals, including a stunning drive from
outside the area against Derby County (which was also the winning goal), during the 1997-98 season.
Petit moved to FC Barcelona (together with Arsenal team-mate Marc Overmars) in the summer of 2000 for £7m. At
Barcelona he was moved back into defence, and suffered a rash of niggling injuries; as a result, he failed to settle and
could not hold down a regular place. In his biography published in 2008, the midfielder gave his time at Barcelona a
special chapter, in which he exposed that coach Llorenç Serra Ferrer didn't even know what position he played when he
joined the team. After his 1st season in Camp Nou, he was linked with moves back to England with Manchester United,
Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. He moved back to England to sign for Chelsea in 2001 for £7,500,000. He initially was
a first-team regular for the Blues in a largely disappointing debut season and played in the 2002 FA Cup final which
Chelsea lost to his old club, Arsenal. His second season saw a significant improvement, as he formed an impressive
midfield partnership with Frank Lampard as Chelsea impressed in the winner-takes-all final game of the season against
Liverpool as Chelsea secured the 4th UEFA Champions League berth. However, after a series of knee injuries, he spent
much of his final season of his career on the sidelines, and he was released on a free transfer in the summer of 2004.
When Chelsea released him Arsenal were going to resign him but they decided not to after having a closer look at his
fitness. After spending six months looking for a new club, including a training stint with Bolton Wanderers, Petit
announced his retirement on 20 January 2005, when he found out he required a knee operation and would probably
never regain full fitness.
Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea. He represented France at international level, and scored the third goal in
France's 3-0 victory in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final. Born in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, Petit began his
career at minor club ES Argues, before being signed by Arsène Wenger's AS Monaco at the age of 18. He made his
debut soon after and played in the 1989 French Cup final. Petit became a regular at Monaco, at left back or centre
back; in 1991 he won the Cup with Monaco, and also played in the 1992 European Cup Winners' Cup final
(which Monaco lost to Werder Bremen). In 1996-97, his final season at Monaco he captained his side to the League 1
title. Petit joined Arsenal in June 1997 £2.5, where he was reunited with his former Monaco manager, Arsène Wenger.
Wenger switched Petit from centre-back to defensive midfielder, and partnered him with fellow Frenchman Patrick
Vieira. The French duo formed a midfield partnership which brought instant success, as Petit won the Double with
Arsenal in his very first season, clinching both the Premier League title and the FA Cup. Altogether, in the three
seasons in his Arsenal career, Petit made 118 appearances and scored 11 goals, including a stunning drive from
outside the area against Derby County (which was also the winning goal), during the 1997-98 season.
Barcelona he was moved back into defence, and suffered a rash of niggling injuries; as a result, he failed to settle and
could not hold down a regular place. In his biography published in 2008, the midfielder gave his time at Barcelona a
special chapter, in which he exposed that coach Llorenç Serra Ferrer didn't even know what position he played when he
joined the team. After his 1st season in Camp Nou, he was linked with moves back to England with Manchester United,
Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. He moved back to England to sign for Chelsea in 2001 for £7,500,000. He initially was
a first-team regular for the Blues in a largely disappointing debut season and played in the 2002 FA Cup final which
Chelsea lost to his old club, Arsenal. His second season saw a significant improvement, as he formed an impressive
midfield partnership with Frank Lampard as Chelsea impressed in the winner-takes-all final game of the season against
Liverpool as Chelsea secured the 4th UEFA Champions League berth. However, after a series of knee injuries, he spent
much of his final season of his career on the sidelines, and he was released on a free transfer in the summer of 2004.
When Chelsea released him Arsenal were going to resign him but they decided not to after having a closer look at his
fitness. After spending six months looking for a new club, including a training stint with Bolton Wanderers, Petit
announced his retirement on 20 January 2005, when he found out he required a knee operation and would probably
never regain full fitness.