Martin Keown was like a ‘psycho’ who fought for Arsenal until he dropped – we saved Paolo Di Canio from him

Martin Keown’s will to win allowed him to get the best out of his teammates and rivals.

The defender was the heart of Arsenal’s backline and few could get the better of him.

One man who saw firsthand how competitive Keown could be was his former teammate Emmanuel Petit.

When asked who would win in a fight between legendary captain Tony Adams and Keown, Petit replied: “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 have been a criminal.”

Host Andy Goldstein was shocked but Petit added: “Football saved him. The rules on the field, the fight he could have on the field with the laws, with the referees, things like that.

“He knew the TV was watching him, the fans were watching him so he had to behave properly, with good manners as well.

“I remember so many things about him, this guy reminds me of psychopaths sometimes. I told him that football saved you otherwise you would get into trouble in normal life. He is such a nice guy but all in all ‘Suddenly, in the space of a Second, it can change’.

Petit then alluded to a 1998 confrontation against Paolo Di Canio, who defended his Sheffield Wednesday teammate Wim Jonk after being pushed by Patrick Vieira following their brawl.

Keown intervened but his elbow caught Di Canio’s head and his face was grabbed in retaliation, with the Italian subsequently sent off by referee Paul Alcock before pushing him in one of the most infamous moments of the Premier League.

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Petit, who played in that match, used their confrontation as an example of the rage he saw in Keown and explained: “I remember, we were trying to take Martin’s hands and fingers off of Keown’s throat. Paolo Di Canio.

“He was trying to strangle him and he was almost ready to do it. You could see his eyes, he wasn’t there anymore, he just wanted to kill Paolo Di Canio.”

Petit later added: “The way he played, the way he took care of the attackers all the time.

“Me and Patrick in midfield, we were so happy to have Tony, to have the four defenders, the English, because we could travel all over the world with them and they would fight until they die, they die on the ground.

“Martin, it’s funny because I see that Tony was smart enough to understand that. I don’t mean that in a bad way, it’s a bit of a joke you know, but I think Tony understood it and he handled Martin like someone walking with his dangerous dog.