Emmanuel Petit has revealed he felt bitterness towards Chelsea and owner Roman Abramovich over the "brutal" end to his career at Stamford Bridge.

Petit joined Chelsea for £7.5 million from Barcelona in June 2001 and spent three years in West London, helping the Blues reach the 2002 FA Cup final as well as securing Champions League qualification on the final day of the 2002-03 season before Abramovich's takeover's was completed.

After two years as a first-team regular, a debilitating series of knee injuries relegated Petit to the bench in his final season under Claudio Ranieri, and he was released by Chelsea in the summer of 2004.

Petit, who announced his retirement from football the following January at the age of 33, says he never quite forgave the Blues for the manner of his departure.

"I really didn't like the way it ended in the dressing room, with the medical staff and the president [Abramovich] at Chelsea," Petit told SFR Sport 1's The Locker Room. "I was even disgusted. That's why I left and didn't give them any news about me after that.

"My performances had been suffering because my knee was a mess, but I put things off. I hid the truth from the medical staff. I still had the hunger."

Petit's retirement brought a sad end to an illustrious career that saw him win the World Cup and European Championship with France and a Premier League and FA Cup Double at Arsenal, and the Frenchman says he had difficulty adjusting to life after football.

"I found life extremely bland," he added. "I didn't find the same team spirit in real life. When you're in a dressing room, you're focused on your objectives.

"When you leave it, when you're confronted with 'normal' life, so to speak, I didn't always find the same feeling of solidarity among people. I found life very bland, I found people very boring for a few years.

"It's a 'little death' to end your career like that, and that is why I was fortunate to have my family around me. I wouldn't say I was depressed, but I had that feeling of blandness every day. You get up, but you don't know why you get up."

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by Liam Twomey

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