World Cup 2018: France legend Emmanuel Petit cried when he saw repeat of 1998 final and says Paris is just like it was 20 years ago

EMMANUEL PETIT scored for France when they beat Brazil 3-0 to win the World Cup 20 years ago.

Ahead of Sunday's final with Croatia, DAVID COVERDALE caught up with the Arsenal legend to hear how Les Bleus are uniting the nation, just like the heroes of ’98.

DC: What is the atmosphere like in Paris? Does it bring back memories of 1998?

EP: Yes, the young generation are now experiencing the same emotion as 20 years ago. When they won against Belgium in the semi-final on Tuesday, it was huge here.

All the streets of Paris were full of people. Black, white, Arabic, rich, poor — everyone was celebrating all together, they were so happy.

Only football can do that to society. It can unite. As a player, you need to bring fans emotion and that is exactly what this team are doing.

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DC: Do France’s performances on the pitch also remind you of ’98?

EP: This generation is more talented than we were.

Individually, they have more options, especially up front, but there are also lots of similarities.

The fact Olivier Giroud hasn’t scored reminds me of Stephane Guivarc’h — they both had so many chances to score.

The defenders are also scoring. Benjamin Pavard scored, like Lilian Thuram did for us against Croatia.

Raphael Varane scored, like Laurent Blanc against Paraguay.

When you have so many coincidences, you cannot call them coincidences any more. It’s like it’s written, I think it’s meant to be.

DC: What does it feel like to play in a World Cup final?

EP: At breakfast on the day of the final, we were all quiet but confident. We were feeling no pressure because we knew it was a privilege.

I was not nervous, just so happy. I did not want the day — or the World Cup — to end.

It’s so difficult to describe. You see joy and pride in millions of French people. You are like a drug addict — give me more, I want your love. On Thursday it was the 20th anniversary of our final and what we did was all over the TV in France.

And I was crying in front of the TV because it reminded me of all the emotions. I was so proud of what I was watching.

So I can understand very well how the players are feeling. This is the dream of their life — this day on Sunday can change their life forever.

DC: Didier Deschamps was your captain in ’98. What have you made of him as a manager?

EP: He’s a workaholic. This guy is dedicated to football. He lives, breathes and sleeps it. He has taken big decisions. Playing Pavard and Lucas Hernandez as full-backs was a big surprise but they are playing every game and doing well.

Didier knows what to do to win games. He was looking for the perfect system — and he has found it.

DC: Kylian Mbappe has been one of the World Cup stars. How good can he be?

EP: He can fight for the Ballon d’Or within three years. What he is doing is amazing at 19.