France players felt ‘guilty and ashamed’ for Thierry Henry handball, says Emmanuel Petit

The former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder admits many French players wanted the game to be replayed.

GUILTY AND ASHAMED: Emmanuel Petit of France celebrates with Thierry Henry after scoring the first goal during the France v England Nationwide International Friendly from the Stade de France, Paris. Mandatory Credit: Clive Brunskill/ALLSPORT

France World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit admits many of his compatriots felt 'guilty and ashamed' over Thierry Henry's controversial handball against the Republic of Ireland.

It's been more than 13 years since Henry used his hand to help set up William Gallas' extra-time winner in the playoff second leg in Paris.

It was the decisive moment which proved to be enough to send the French to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa at the expense of the Irish.

"As French players, we felt guilty and ashamed with the infamous handball," Petit, who scored in the 1998 World Cup final against Brazil, told BoyleSports.

"Many of our players wanted to replay the game against Ireland, however it was more romantic to see France qualify for the World Cup than Ireland.

"It is not the way we wanted to qualify, and it is not our history. I agree with Bacary Sagna's statement that if it was around then, VAR would have ruled France out of the World Cup."

The midfielder, who won a Premier League and FA Cup double with Arsenal in '98, had many a fierce battle with Roy Keane during his playing days but it was another Manchester United playmaker that he found tougher to come up against.

"Roy Keane wasn't my toughest opponent - you should probably ask that question to Patrick Viera. My toughest opponent was Paul Scholes.

"When we were fighting for the trophy with Manchester United, Paul Scholes was the fiercest competitor on the pitch. Always the first person to go for the ball and give you a tackle.

"Me and Patrick Viera also kept a close eye on Paul Scholes - he was a magician," insisted Petit, although he would heap praise on another Cork native.

"Denis Irwin was always underestimated during his career and I don't understand why. Often when you ask this type of question, you don't think about the full backs straight away, but I remember Denis Irwin was great.

"He was aggressive and a good tactician. He was mentally strong, good with set pieces - I can't remember how many free-kicks he scored for his country and club, but I always thought he was underrated.

"When people say Ashley Cole, although I have respect for him, nobody should forget Denis Irwin. He is often overlooked because he was playing in the same generation as Maldini and Roberto Carlos.

"If he was playing today, he would definitely be up there as there aren't many players that can play with both feet. He was very clever with the ball.