Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit attracted attention with his rare appearance on Monday Night Football, as fans took to social media to argue over which famous fictional character he most resembled.
Petit, who won the Premier League and FA Cup double with Arsenal in 1998 before lifting the World Cup with France that summer, joined regular Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher in the studio ahead of the Chelsea against Wolves at Stamford Bridge.
Although he is remembered for being one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation, having represented Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea during his illustrious career, the Frenchman was also known for his long, golden hair.
Even Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs once revealed to Mail Sport that he didn't like Petit “because of his long hair” when speaking about the intense rivalry between his Red Devils and the Gunners.
But fans were delighted to see Petit, 54, maintained his signature look and joked about who the French legend looked most like, from popular Lord of the Rings character Legolas to Lucius Malfoy in the TV series. Harry Potter movies.
“Lovely seeing Emmanuel Petit on Sky Sports tonight,” one fan posted on X alongside a photo of Orlando Bloom's portrayal of Legolas from The Lord of the Rings.
Emmanuel Petit attracted a lot of attention with his rare appearance on Monday Night Football
Fans claimed the Arsenal legend, 54, looked like Legolas from The Lord of the Rings.
Petit was in the Sky Sports studio ahead of his former club Chelsea's league clash against Wolves.
Also claiming that Petit looked like Legolas, a second added: “It's good to see that Emmanuel Petit has taken a break from killing orcs and casting spells to give his opinion on football tonight.”
A third fan, in disagreement, posted: “Emmanuel Petit looks like Lucius Malfoy.”
Another, referencing a more recent double, said: 'Emmanuel Petit or The Witcher?'
A fourth, referring to the Game Of Thrones prequel starring actor Matt Smith, said: “Emmanuel Petit will immediately begin filming the new series of House Of The Dragon after Monday Night Football.”
“Emmanuel Petit auditioning for the Vampire Diaries reboot,” another fan added, chiming in.
Several fans simply praised the 54-year-old's appearance, praising his fashion sense, style and overall manner on Monday Night Football.
One fan posted: 'Looks like Emmanuel Petit could wear 5 random items from a charity shop and still be the best dressed and coolest man in the room!'
Another said: “Great to see Emmanuel Petit on MNF, still looking like a billion dollars, the man is timeless.”
The comparisons continued when fans claimed Petit looked like characters from a host of movies and TV shows, including Harry Potter, The Witcher, Vampire Diaries and House of the Dragon.
Meanwhile, other followers simply praised Petit for her stylish and modern look.
Ahead of Chelsea's game against Wolves on Monday night, Jamie Carragher criticized Ruben Amorim's “bizarre” claim that his Man United team is “perhaps the worst in the club's history”.
During the run-up to Chelsea's clash with Wolves, Carragher, Petit's co-author on the Sky Sports panel, heavily criticized Ruben AmorimThe 'bizarre' claim that his Man United team is “perhaps the worst in the club's history”.
The Manchester United boss made the shocking admission after their 3-1 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday, which left them 13th in the Premier League.
speaking in Sky Sports Monday Night Football Before the match, Carragher said: “I think it was one of the strangest and most ridiculous things I have ever heard a manager say.” Why would you make a comment like that?
“That's the kind of comment an expert would make and I would have to defend it. I don't know what he gains from that, what the benefit is. We all know it's a poor Manchester United team.
'He just blew something up, a quote that will follow him for the rest of the season. To the reporters he said, 'I've given you your headline.' Why you'd want to do that as a coach, I'll never know.'