Emmanuel Petit

Emmanuel "Manu" Laurent Petit (born 22 September 1970 in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime) is a retired French footballer, 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.

Club career

Born in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, Petit began his career at minor club ES Arques-la-Bataille, 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 Ligue 1 title.

Despite interest from Rangers, Petit joined Arsenal in June 1997 £2.5m, 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......
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