Stuart Pearce confirms he was confronted by Emmanuel Petit who told him 'I hate you'
Emmanuel Petit isn't the biggest fan of Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce says Emmanuel Petit told him he hated him when they bumped into each other a few weeks back.
The former England international, known as 'Psycho' during his heyday due to his fearless, unrelenting style of play, has mellowed since hanging up his boots. But that didn't stop ex-Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Petit from reminding him of his past antics.
On Rio Ferdinand's FIVE podcast, Pearce, 62, revealed that Petit, 53, wasted little time in telling him how he felt, and his sentiment was apparently shared by the entire French team due to Pearce's behaviour during an England-France match in the early 90s.
"I bumped into Emmanuel Petit a couple of weeks ago," Pearce said. "He came up to me and went, 'I hate you', and I said, 'We've never met before'.
"He said, 'When I played for France at Euro 92 you were screaming at the bench and all us French people hate you'. And I said, 'Good, I've done something right then' [laughs]."
Pearce started each of England's three games at the tournament, which was held in Sweden. However, the Three Lions were eliminated early, finishing last in a group that included France, Sweden, and eventual champions Denmark. They managed two goalless draws and one loss before being sent home.
Petit didn't play a single minute at the tournament, and could only watch as his nation, like England, failed to progress past the group stage of the competition they had won eight years prior. At that time, the midfield maestro was plying his trade for Monaco under Arsene Wenger.
When Wenger made the switch to Arsenal, Petit wasn't far behind, and quickly made a name for himself as one of the Premier League's top central midfielders, creating a formidable duo with fellow Frenchman Patrick Vieira. Luckily for Petit, encounters with Pearce, who was then playing for Newcastle, were rare given that the latter's career was winding down.
The two only faced off on the pitch thrice before Petit transferred to Barcelona in 2000. He made a comeback to England after signing with Chelsea a year later, but struggles with form and fitness hindered him from leaving a significant mark at Stamford Bridge.
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