Emmanuel Petit claims he was left “disgusted” with the way Chelsea forced him out and the treatment he received from Roman Abramovich.
The Frenchman registered over 50 first team appearances following his move to Stamford Bridge in 2001 for £7.5 million.
However, he would find himself watching on from the sidelines after a number of knee injuries and was ultimately released by Claudio Ranieri in 2004.
It would spell the end of the then 33-year-old’s playing career, a move he says left him feeling bitter towards the London club.
“I really didn’t like the way it ended in the dressing room, with the medical staff and the president [Abramovich] at Chelsea,” Petit said in an interview with SFR Sport 1.
“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.”
A midfielder who won the Premier League title and FA Cup in 1998 before claiming the World Cup with France in the same year, it took Petit some time to adjust to life away from the football pitch.
“I didn’t find the same team spirit in real life. When you’re in a dressing room, you’re focused on your objectives,” said Petit.
“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.”
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