Martin Keown’s will to win saw him get the best out of teammates and rivals.
The defender was the heartbeat of the Arsenal back line and not many could get the better of him.
One man who saw first hand how competitive Keown could be was former teammate Emmanuel Petit.
When asked who would win in a fight between legendary captain Tony Adams and Keown, Petit said: “I would probably put a coin on Martin.
“Why? I always told him, if you listen he won’t be surprised, I always told him that football saved his life, otherwise he would’ve been a criminal.”
Host Andy Goldstein was shocked at this but Petit added: “Football saved him. The rules on the pitch, the fight that he could fight on the pitch with laws, with referees, things like this.
“He knew that the television was looking at him, fans were looking at him so he had to behave, good manners as well.
“I remember so many things with him, this guy sometimes reminds me of psychopaths. I told him football saved you otherwise you’d be in trouble in normal life. He’s such a nice guy but all of a sudden, in the space of one second, he can change.”
Petit then alluded to a confrontation in 1998 against Paolo Di Canio, who defended his Sheffield Wednesday teammate Wim Jonk after he was pushed by Patrick Vieira following their tussle.
Keown intervened but his elbow caught the head of Di Canio and his face was grabbed in retaliation, with the Italian later being sent off by referee Paul Alcock before famously pushing him over in one of the Premier League’s most infamous moments.
Petit, who played in that game, used their clash as an example of the rage he saw from Keown and explained: “I remember, we try to take off Martin’s hands and fingers off Paolo Di Canio’s throat.
“He was trying to strangle him and he was almost ready to do it. You could see his eyes, he was not there anymore, he just wanted to kill Paolo Di Canio.”
Petit later added: “The way he played, the way he used to take care of the strikers all the time.
“Me and Patrick in the midfield, we were so happy to have Tony, to have the back four, the English guys, because we could travel everywhere in the world with them and they would fight until they are dead, they die on the pitch.
“Martin, it’s funny because I see Tony was clever enough to understand that. I’m not saying that in a bad way, it’s kind of a joke you know, but I think Tony understood it and he was managing Martin just like someone is walking with his dangerous dog.”
News Summary:
- Martin Keown was like a ‘psycho’ who fought for Arsenal until he dropped – we saved Paolo Di Canio from him
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