Emmanuel Petit

Emmanuel Laurent "Manu" Petit (French pronunciation: ​[ɛmanɥɛl pəˈti]; born 22 September 1970) is a French retired footballer, who played 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

Emmanuel Petit was born on 22 September 1970 in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime. He 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, playing at left midfielder or centre midfielder; 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 Levski Sofia, Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur, Petit joined Arsenal in June 1997 for £2.5m, 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.