Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit brutally snubbed two huge names when naming his best XI of former team-mates.
Petit, who won the Premier League and FA Cup double with Arsenal in 1998 before lifting the World Cup with France that summer, joined regular Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher in the studio ahead of Chelsea‘s clash with Wolves at Stamford Bridge.
He is remembered for being one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation, having represented Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea during his illustrious career.
Reflecting on that career, the 54-year-old selected his best XI of previous team-mates but there was no space for either Patrick Vieira or Tony Adams.
Forming Petit’s back-line instead were Liliam Thuram, Marcel Desailly, John Terry and Manuel Amoros – with Fabian Barthez in goal.
Ahead of him were Xavi, Zinedine Zidane and Rivaldo in midfield, with Dennis Bergkamp just ahead of them in a playmaking role and George Weah and Thierry Henry up front.
Explaining his reasoning behind omitting Vieira and Adams, Petit said: ‘I could (include) with Patrick (Vieira) as well. But I played with so many great players.’
Carragher replied: ‘I am shocked by a couple of the names. For me, John Terry is one of the greatest central defenders. I’m thinking of Tony, Tony Adams. I’ve always been a huge John Terry fan. That’s a big decision’.
Petit replied: ‘I can only take 11 players though. Even in midfield, Patrick, Frank Lampard, for example. There’s only one Xavi. I think Xavi in this position…’
‘He was amazing,’ Carragher quickly interjected.
‘He started with us in Barcelona,’ Petit continued. ‘Sometimes he trained with us. Puyol as well. Puyol was a little bit more ahead of him but Xavi, you could see that he had something different, his intelligence, his technical skill. The personality as well. This is the DNA of Barcelona.
‘Nowadays, defenders are not typical defenders. Back in these days, when you are talking about defenders, Thuram, one against one, Desailly, John Terry – those guys, you cannot pass them.
‘It’s impossible. They are proper defenders. They fight for the ball. It’s a nightmare for strikers’.
Despite leaving Vieira out of his midfield selection, Petit did find time to name the Frenchman as his favourite team-mate from his playing days.
‘I would say Patrick. Definitely. For what we’ve done, Patrick, yeah. William Gallas as well. We are very close friends,’ Petit said.
Petit and Vieira played together for Arsenal from 1997 to 2000. They formed a highly effective midfield partnership, contributing to some of the club’s most successful seasons during that period.
They also played together in French national team as well, notably during the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where France won the tournament.
Petit turned plenty of heads with his rare appearance on Monday Night Football, as fans took to social media to argue over which famous fictional character he most resembled.
Fans were delighted to see that Petit, 54, has kept his trademark look and joked over who the France legend most resembled, from popular The Lord of the Rings character Legolas to Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series.
‘Lovely to see Emmanuel Petit on Sky Sports tonight,’ one fan posted on X alongside a picture of Orlando Bloom’s portrayal of Legolas from The Lord of the Rings.
Several supporters simply lauded over the 54-year-old pundit’s appearance, praising his fashion sense, style and general manner on Monday Night Football.
A fan posted: ‘Emmanuel Petit looks like he could wear 5 random items from a charity shop, and still be the best dressed, coolest man in the room!!’
Another said: ‘It’s great to see Emmanuel Petit on MNF, still looking a billion dollars, the man is timeless.’
