“I left Arsenal for a woman” - Emmanuel Petit spills details behind decision to leave Gunners for Barcelona
Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has lifted the lid on his decision to leave the Gunners for Barcelona in 2000.
Petit was one of nine players the north London giants signed ahead of the 1997-98 season. The Frenchman quickly established a partnership with fellow compatriot Patrick Vieira in the middle of the park. He helped the club win the Premier League and the FA Cup in 1998.
After winning the FIFA World Cup with France that summer, Petit also won the Community Shield with Arsenal. He made 118 appearances across competitions for Arsene Wenger's side, bagging 11 goals and 24 assists in the process.
The midfielder then secured a shock transfer to Barcelona in the summer of 2000, just two years after moving to Highbury. The move, though, did not go according to plan for him as he struggled to hit the ground running at Camp Nou.
Petit has now revealed that he left the Gunners for a woman and admitted that he regretted his decision. He said [via The Sun]:
"I left Arsenal for a woman. I always liked Barcelona and Real Madrid, two of the biggest clubs in the world. But I should have stayed at Arsenal, definitely."
Petit added:
"You know, sometimes the grass is not greener elsewhere. It's better to stay where you are when you receive love, happiness and success. If I could turn back time, I would probably make a different decision."
He married French actress Agathe de la Fontaine in 2000 and had a child with her, but separated two years later.
Emmanuel Petit admits he swapped Arsenal for Barcelona at the wrong time
Emmanuel Petit swapped the 1998 Premier League winners for Barcelona for around €16 million in 2000. However, he quickly regretted the move and returned to England with Chelsea the following year. The midfielder netted just once for the Blaugrana in 38 games before his exit.
The former Monaco star believes the issues in the dressing room added to his woes at Camp Nou. He is also of the view that the then Barcelona manager Lorenzo Serra Ferrer was not suited for the job. He said:
"I arrived [at Barca] at a bad time. There was a war in the dressing room between Catalan and Dutch players. In addition, we had Serra Ferrer as a coach, who did not have the necessary strength or charisma to handle the team."
After returning to England, Petiti remained with Chelsea for three years before hanging up his boots in 2004. He amassed 76 appearances for the Blues, racking up three goals and seven assists. A crippling knee injury then forced him into retiring.