Patrice Evra Reflects on Infamous Groundsman Incident: ‘I Got Lucky’

omidbasir- Patrice Evra has recently opened up about his infamous altercation with a Chelsea groundsman, expressing that he feels he “got lucky” in that situation.

During the post-match warm-down following the full-time whistle at Stamford Bridge in 2008, the Manchester United substitutes, including Evra, found themselves in a heated moment with Chelsea’s groundsmen who were occupying the same area of the pitch. This confrontation regrettably escalated into an incident.

“I think I got lucky,” Evra shared with The Telegraph. “I came across a picture of him later, and he looked formidable. A few weeks after the incident, while with the French national team, Nicolas Anelka and [Florent] Malouda told me, ‘Patrice, we see this guy every day. He’s massive. Were you really sure about that?’ I admitted that I wasn’t certain; I just went straight for him.”

Evra recounted how Paul Scholes humorously remarked, “Any time I go to the pub, I’m going to take you with me.” The Football Association even sought CCTV footage of the confrontation, which occurred after Chelsea secured a 2-1 victory over Manchester United in the Premier League.

At the time, Evra was being rested during the Champions League semifinals, where United faced Barcelona. He recalled a moment with Sir Alex Ferguson during a meeting leading up to a crucial match against Barcelona. “Ferguson began the meeting by stating, ‘Oh guys, today it’s an important game, and if we lose, it’s because of Patrice.’ We exchanged glances, and I thought, ‘Okay, this is a lot of pressure.'”

Ferguson further emphasized, “Patrice, I don’t care about [Lionel] Messi being the best player in the world. If we don’t keep Messi quiet, I will hold you responsible.”

Ultimately, Manchester United triumphed in both the Premier League and the Champions League during the 2007-08 season, leaving Evra with no regrets regarding his performance on the field. However, he mused that the encounter with the ‘beast’ groundsman could have concluded differently, and there remains no word on whether Paul Scholes ever did take Evra to the pub.