“Arsene Wenger came to watch a game on a Sunday morning, then Every manager has their favourites and for more than a decade, Emmanuel Petit was one of the first names on Arsene Wenger’s teamsheet.
While the pair only won three major trophies together, it was Wenger who first took a chance on a young, untested Petit during his time as Monaco boss and would go on to select him 319 more times, first for the Ligue 1 side and then for Arsenal, after the midfielder followed Wenger to the Premier League in a £2.5million move, which would prove to be a bargain.
At Arsenal, Wenger installed Petit in a more defensive position, alongside his compatriot Patrick Vieira in a move that quickly paid dividends, as the Gunners swept to a Premier League and FA Cup double in Petit’s first campaign in north London.
Petit on Wenger's gamble
Petit was at the height of his powers that season and would go on to star in France’s 1998 World Cup win that summer, but he never forgot the leap of faith Wenger made when he handed him his senior debut, almost a decade before when he helped Monaco to a goalless draw against Sochaux in 1989.
“My debut, aged 18,” Petit begins when FourFourTwo, in association with BetVictor, ask him to recount the most important days of his career.
“Monaco had a huge game in Europe that week and were fighting for the league title, with 12 or 13 players injured.
“They didn’t have enough players, so Arsene Wenger brought me from the academy. He came to watch a game on Sunday morning, then said, ‘From tomorrow, you start training with us’.
“I never left the first team after that! On my debut, I played as a centre-back, marking Stephane Paille, who played for the national team.
“It was a massive test for me, Sochaux were one of the best teams in France back then, but we drew 0-0 and I was named man of the match.”
Petit would quickly become a key contributor for Wenger’s Monaco side, winning the Coupe de France in 1991 and then being part of the squad that made it to the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup the following season.
His move to Arsenal and reunion with Wenger came after he captained Monaco to the Ligue 1 title and Petit would make 118 appearances for the Gunners before spells with Barcelona and Chelsea, with the Frenchman going on to be ranked as the 95th best player in Premier League history by FourFourTwo.
