Emmanuel Petit
Central Midfielder · Monaco · France
About Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit is best known for scoring France's third goal in the 1998 World Cup final — a left-foot finish that sealed a 3-0 win against Brazil in front of 75,000 in Paris (FRA) — and for forming one of the Premier League's great midfield partnerships with Patrick Vieira at Arsenal. He won the Double with Arsenal in 1998 and was part of France's World Cup and Euro double-winning generation.
Emmanuel Petit's story
Dieppe to the World Stage
Petit was born in Dieppe in Normandy and joined Monaco (MON)'s academy. He developed into a powerful left-footed midfielder — capable of defensive covering, driving runs, and scoring with ferocity from range. Arsène Wenger knew him from Monaco (MON) and signed him for Arsenal in 1997 alongside Vieira.
The 1998 World Cup Final Goal
On July 12, 1998 — in the World Cup final against Brazil at the Stade de France — with the score at 2-0, Emmanuel Petit ran onto a through ball in the 93rd minute and placed the ball left-footed past Taffarel. France won 3-0. Petit had become one of the few players in history to score in a World Cup final.
Arsenal's Double
The 1997-98 season at Arsenal was Petit's finest club campaign — his midfield partnership with Vieira combining physical dominance with technical quality in a way that helped Arsenal win the Premier League and FA Cup Double under Wenger. He moved to Barcelona (ESP) in 2000 — but struggled — before returning to England with Chelsea.
Did you know?
- 🏆 He scored France's third goal in the 1998 World Cup final — a left-foot finish in the 93rd minute that sealed a 3-0 win against Brazil — making him one of the few players in history to score in a World Cup final.
- 🤝 His midfield partnership with Patrick Vieira at Arsenal (1997-2000) — physical dominance, left foot plus right, breaking up play and driving forward — is considered one of the great Premier League midfield partnerships.
- 👨👩👧👦 Divorced; has a son. He settled in France after a career spanning Monaco, Arsenal, and Barcelona.
- 📊 He won both the Premier League (1998) and the World Cup (1998) in the same summer — one of only five players to achieve this double in a single year.
- ⚽ He scored 13 goals for Arsenal in 97 appearances — an excellent return for a midfielder — including several long-range left-foot strikes that became his trademark.
- 🇫🇷 He was part of France's "golden generation" — a group that won the World Cup (1998), the Confederations Cup (2001-2003), and the European Championship (2000) — the most successful period in French football history.
- 💇 His long blond hair tied back in a ponytail made him one of the most visually distinctive players in the Premier League during the late 1990s — a recognisable image of the era.
- 💪 He was renowned for his physical power in midfield challenges — one of the strongest ball-winners of his era — despite also having the technical quality to create chances and score goals from distance.
- 🏟️ Arsenal's 1997-98 Double season — in which Petit played every significant game — is considered one of the finest team performances in Premier League history, combining beautiful football with physical authority.
Honours
- FIFA World Cup: France (1998) — scored the 3rd goal in the final vs Brazil
- UEFA Euro: France (2000)
- Premier League: Arsenal (1998)
- FA Cup: Arsenal (1998)
- Ligue 1: Monaco (1997)
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