Emmanuel Petit

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Emmanuel Petit
Petit in 2005
Personal information
Full name Emmanuel Laurent Petit[1]
Date of birth (1970-09-22) 22 September 1970 (age 53)[2]
Place of birth Dieppe, France
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[3]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder, left back
Youth career
Arques-la-Bataille
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1997 Monaco 222 (4)
1997–2000 Arsenal 85 (9)
2000–2001 Barcelona 23 (1)
2001–2004 Chelsea 55 (2)
Total 385 (16)
International career
1990–2003 France 63 (6)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
FIFA World Cup
Winner 1998 France
UEFA European Championship
Winner 2000 Belgium–Netherlands
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Emmanuel Laurent Petit (French pronunciation: [emanɥɛl lɔʁɑ̃ pəti]; born 22 September 1970) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder at club level for Arsenal, Barcelona, Monaco, and Chelsea. He represented France at international level in two FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships; he scored the third goal in France's 3–0 victory in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final and was also a member of the French squad that won UEFA Euro 2000.

Early life[edit]

Petit was born in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, and grew up in Arques-la-Bataille.[4][5]

Club career[edit]

Petit (centre) in 2000

Petit began his career at minor club ES Arques-la-Bataille before being signed by Arsène Wenger's Monaco side at the age of 18. He made his debut soon after and played in the 1989 Coupe de France final. Petit became a regular at Monaco, playing as a left-sided or central midfielder. In 1991, he won the Coupe de France 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 Ligue 1 title.[citation needed]

Petit joined Arsenal in June 1997 for £2.5 million, where he was reunited with his former Monaco manager Arsène Wenger. Wenger switched Petit from central midfielder 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.[citation needed]

Petit moved to Barcelona (together with Arsenal teammate Marc Overmars) in the summer of 2000 for £7 million (€14 million). 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 Lorenzo Serra Ferrer did not even know what position he played when he joined the team. His only goal for Barcelona came on 13 May 2001 at home to Rayo Vallecano in a 5–1 win.[6]

After his first season at the Camp Nou, Petit was linked with moves back to England with Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea, joining the last in 2001 in a £7.5 million transfer deal.[7][8] He initially was a first-team regular for the Blues in a largely disappointing first season and played in the 2002 FA Cup final[9] which Chelsea lost to his old club, Arsenal. He scored his first goal for Chelsea in a 2–1 win over Derby on 30 March 2002.[10] 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 fourth UEFA Champions League berth. He also scored twice throughout the season: against Everton in the League Cup,[11] and former club Arsenal in the league.[12] After a series of knee injuries, however, 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, his final appearance for the club coming against Blackburn Rovers on 1 February 2004.[13]

After being released by Chelsea, Petit rejected the chance to sign for Bolton Wanderers,[14][15] and he announced his retirement on 20 January 2005 after failing to fully recover following knee surgery.[16][17][18]

International career[edit]

Playing for the France national team, Petit earned 63 caps and scored six international goals in his career and won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. He scored twice in the 1998 World Cup, the first from a powerful shot from just outside the box against Denmark, which turned out to be the match winner, and a second in the final against Brazil. The goal he scored in the final was particularly memorable, as he had embarked on an optimistic run across field before calmly slotting in the goal in the final minute of regular time. That same goal happened to be the 1,000th goal in the history of the French Football Federation, and the last World Cup goal of the 20th century. France won the match 3–0. An earlier Petit corner kick had set up Zinedine Zidane's header for France's first goal.[19] Petit was also part of the 2002 World Cup squad, though France failed to advance past the group stages and failed to score a single goal in three matches during their defence of the trophy.[20]

Petit retired from international football in September 2003.[21]

Style of play[edit]

Although capable of playing as a defender, Petit usually played as a defensive midfielder throughout his career, and was known for his energy, work-rate, strength, tackling, aerial prowess, and positional intelligence in this position, as well as his elegance, and his passing range and striking ability from distance with his left foot; as such, he was not only capable of breaking up attacks, but of dictating play in midfield, creating chances for teammates, and even scoring goals.[22][23][24][25][26]

Personal life[edit]

Petit married French actress Agathe de La Fontaine,[27] in 2000, but they divorced in 2002 after having one child, Zoe. He now shares his life with Maria Servello, with whom he had another child, Violet, in 2007. He has often appeared on French TV as a football analyst. His brother Olivier was an amateur footballer when Petit was a teenager. While playing for his club Arques in 1988, Olivier collapsed and was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead due to a blood clot of the brain.[28] In his biography, Petit explained that this event shocked him to such an extent that it almost made him quit football. He viewed his brother as a gifted young man who had good looks and did well in all his endeavours, whether it was football or education. At age 18, he was already facing the demanding rigors of the Monaco youth academy, and not so soon, he had lost his grandfather. His brother’s and grandfather’s loss happened in a bracket of two years and the passing of his brother almost became the final straw.

Petit wore the number 17 shirt in club football throughout his career as 17 was his brother's age when he died [29]

He starred as himself in a Christmas special episode of British police show The Bill in 1998.[30]

Petit has been an ambassador for the Homeless World Cup movement since the tournament was hosted by Paris in 2011.[31]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[32]
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Monaco 1988–89 Division 1 9 0 9 1 0 0 18 1
1989–90 Division 1 28 0 1 0 7[c] 0 36 0
1990–91 Division 1 27 1 6 0 5[d] 0 38 1
1991–92 Division 1 28 0 4 0 7[c] 0 39 0
1992–93 Division 1 25 1 2 0 27 1
1993–94 Division 1 28 0 2 0 10[e] 0 40 0
1994–95 Division 1 25 1 1 0 1 0 27 1
1995–96 Division 1 23 1 3 0 0 0 1[d] 0 27 1
1996–97 Division 1 29 0 1 0 3 0 7[d] 0 40 0
Total 222 4 29 1 4 0 37 0 292 5
Arsenal 1997–98 Premier League 32 2 7 0 3 0 2[d] 0 44 2
1998–99 Premier League 26 4 3 2 0 0 3[e] 0 1[f] 0 33 6
1999–2000 Premier League 27 3 3 0 0 0 10[g] 0 1[f] 0 41 3
Total 85 9 13 2 3 0 15 0 2 0 118 11
Barcelona 2000–01 La Liga 23 1 5 0 10[h] 0 38 1
Chelsea 2001–02 Premier League 27 1 6 0 2 0 3[d] 0 38 1
2002–03 Premier League 24 1 5 0 1 1 1[d] 0 31 2
2003–04 Premier League 4 0 1 0 0 0 2[e] 0 7 0
Total 55 2 12 0 3 1 6 0 76 3
Career total 385 16 59 3 10 1 68 0 2 0 524 20
  1. ^ Includes Coupe de France, FA Cup, Copa del Rey
  2. ^ Includes Coupe de la Ligue, Football League Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  4. ^ a b c d e f Appearances in UEFA Cup
  5. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. ^ a b Appearance in FA Charity Shield
  7. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances in UEFA Cup
  8. ^ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Cup

International[edit]

Appearances and goals by national team and year[33]
National team Year Apps Goals
France 1990 1 0
1991 0 0
1992 5 0
1993 7 0
1994 1 0
1995 0 0
1996 1 0
1997 2 0
1998 10 2
1999 5 1
2000 14 1
2001 7 1
2002 9 1
2003 1 0
Total 63 6
Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Petit goal.
List of international goals scored by Emmanuel Petit
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 24 June 1998 Stade de Gerland, Lyon, France  Denmark 2–1 2–1 1998 FIFA World Cup
2 12 July 1998 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Brazil 3–0 3–0 1998 FIFA World Cup
3 5 June 1999 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Russia 1–1 2–3 UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
4 2 September 2000 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  England 1–0 1–1 Friendly
5 6 October 2001 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Algeria 2–0 4–1 Friendly
6 13 February 2002 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Romania 2–0 2–1 Friendly

Honours[edit]

Monaco

Arsenal

France

Individual

Orders

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Entreprise Masky à Paris (75004)" [Company Masky in Paris (75004)]. Figaro Entreprises (in French). 7 December 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
    "Emmanuel Petit". BFM Business (in French). NextInteractive. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Emmanuel Petit". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Emmanuel Petit: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Emmanuel Petit". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  5. ^ "L'ancien champion du monde Emmanuel Petit à Ouistreham : "98 nous unira à vie"". France 3 Normandie (in French). 26 May 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Barcelona Statistics". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  7. ^ Brodkin, Jon (27 June 2001). "Sensitive Petit finds a friend in Ranieri". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  8. ^ Johnson, Simon (27 June 2001). "Petit warns Vieira after sealing Chelsea deal". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  9. ^ Webster, Rupert. "Petit's Big Cup Final Role". Sky Sports.
  10. ^ "Chelsea defeat battling Derby". BBC Sport. 30 March 2002. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  11. ^ "Awesome Chelsea thrash Everton". BBC Sport. 4 December 2002. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  12. ^ "Arsenal edge past Chelsea". BBC. 1 January 2003. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  13. ^ "Blackburn 2–3 Chelsea". BBC. 1 February 2004. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
  14. ^ "Petit: 'I rejected Bolton approach'". ESPN. 21 August 2004. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  15. ^ "Petit snubs Bolton". Sky Sports. 21 August 2004. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  16. ^ "Petit calls time on his career". The Guardian. 21 January 2005. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  17. ^ "Petit career ended by knee injury". BBC Sport. 21 January 2005. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  18. ^ "Injury forces Petit to retire". The Daily Telegraph. 21 January 2005. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  19. ^ "France plays perfect host; hoists World Cup in Paris". Soccer Times. 12 July 1998. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  20. ^ Bland, Gareth (28 July 2015). "The story of France's failure at World Cup 2002". These Football Times. Archived from the original on 19 June 2017.
  21. ^ "Petit quits France with Santini blast". ESPN. 8 September 2003. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  22. ^ Eastham, James (6 June 2014). "Why Blaise Matuidi is the key player for France's World Cup hopes". fourfourtwo.com. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  23. ^ Fraser, Peter (18 November 2013). "My Career: Emmanuel Petit". Sky Sports. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  24. ^ "Greatest 50 Players - 22. Emmanuel Petit". www.arsenal.com. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  25. ^ Lea, Greg (30 September 2017). "The Premier League's 100 best foreigners... EVER". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  26. ^ Cox, Michael W. (2019). Zonal Marking: From Ajax to Zidane, the Making of Modern Soccer. Bold Type Books. ISBN 978-1-56858-932-9. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  27. ^ "Emmanuel Petit - Actus, photos, vidéos, biographie…".
  28. ^ www.telegraph.co.uk – "Moment of quiet reflection for Arsenal's flexible friend
  29. ^ Team, Editorial (4 October 2021). "Emmanuel Petit: One Of The Best Defensive Midfielders". History Of Soccer. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  30. ^ "When Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit appeared in a Christmas special of The Bill" Talksport
  31. ^ "Emmanuel Petit - Homeless World Cup Supporters Club". Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  32. ^ Emmanuel Petit at Soccerbase
  33. ^ "Emmanuel Petit - International Appearances".
  34. ^ "Monaco 1996-97". bdfutbol.com. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  35. ^ "France - Footballer of the Year". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015.
  36. ^ "Décret du 24 juillet 1998 portant nomination à titre exceptionnel" [Decree of 24 July 1998 appointing on an exceptional basis]. Official Journal of the French Republic (in French). 1998 (170). 25 July 1998. PREX9801916D. Retrieved 2 January 2021.

External links[edit]