world champion 98, he marked the history of football but his success is far from being the fruit of chance. And if Emmanuel has experienced, for years, moments of happiness thanks to his personal investment and his success, he went through dark periods as on the death of his brother, victim of a break in aneurysm on the football field in front of his future wife and his other brother, David. “I learned it in the most terrible way. We received a phone call. I saw my father’s face liquefying, he hits his head against the walls and shouted:” It’s not true, it’s not true “… From that moment, I made a promise, that of doing everything to make my brother honored and so that my family finds a smile”.
It is therefore by looking at heaven, as if to pay tribute to him, that he now starts all his matches. Stimulated by his desire to succeed and channeled by his spirituality, Emmanuel ends up being noticed by Michel Platini, the coach of the French team and even participated in the 1998 World Cup. With the Blues, he then became world champion, even scoring the third goal of the final won 3-0 against Brazil. “”To achieve great things in your life, I think you have to have suffered a lot before ”he believes while confiding having always wanted to be “The pride of the family and not the ball”. Following his experiences, some of which are forever marked, Emmanuel Petit spent a season at FC Barcelona before joining Chelsea. Then, in 2005, the footballer decided to retire and then began a consultant career.
“The one who wants to succeed must be ready for all sacrifices”
To reach the top, Emmanuel Petit had to give his person and make many sacrifices. A destiny that could have been quite different. Because small, Emmanuel is extremely braking and flies a lot. The recovery houses do nothing and the problems with his parents and the police are increasing. Fortunately, the young boy spun after he discovered a real passion for football. He therefore joined the club of ES Arques-la-Bataille in his native Normandy with the wish, to become a pro. To do this, Emmanuel gives himself 100% and strengthens, in parallel, his competitive spirit. Spotted, it ends up being selected from the Minimes of the Normandy League.
-“I did not accept not to succeed. I did not accept that we lose games and in this case, I should not speak to me after. I could not eat or sleep. I was going back to the match 100 times in my head and I questioned myself permanently”, he recalls to the microphone of Yahoo. Finally, his work bears fruit and the young man joins the AS Monaco training center as of adolescence, at the age of 14. “”At that moment, you know you play your future. You have a hierarchy, you have to follow what you tell you, or otherwise, you put yourself off you yourself “he explains while recalling the importance of mental strength.
“It was managed almost like a prison. In the schedules, in everything, it was important not to mess around”. But what does it matter. Emmanuel is determined to do everything to succeed, to reach his craziest dreams. As he recalls, those who succeed in this area all have one thing in common: that of being ready for all sacrifices to access their dream. They must also take responsibility because no one is there to catch them behind. In other words, a real school of life.
“Some have even committed suicide”
But unlike him, many abandoned and later ended up regretting their choice. “”At one point, they dropped the thread a little because they wanted to live their life as a teenager. There are even some who committed suicide, others who have finished in prison “he explains while measuring the path traveled. “”I realize the privilege of having been a professional footballer. But at the same time, I know all the sacrifices I put on the table to get there. I absolutely didn’t want to have regrets “. He ended up winning his first trophy with AS Monaco in 1991, the Coupe de France, before leaving a few years later, in 1997, in the British capital to join Arsenal. A year later, he was crowned world champion.
