Arsène Wenger
Encyclopedia
Arsène Wenger, OBE
(aʁsɛn vɛnɡɛʁ; born 22 October 1949) is a French
association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal
since 1996. He is currently the club's longest serving manager and most successful, based on trophies won.
After completing a Bachelor's
and Master's degree
in Electrical engineering
and Economics
respectively at the University of Strasbourg
Wenger began his short lived playing career, moving to three different French clubs in the space of eight years—the last of which being RC Strasbourg
in 1981. He briefly managed top-flight club AS Nancy-Lorraine, before entering a highly successful period at AS Monaco
, winning the Ligue 1
championship in his first season and later the Coupe de France
in 1991, along with developing young talent such as Youri Djorkaeff
, George Weah
and Thierry Henry
. In 1995, he coached Japanese J-League side Nagoya Grampus Eight
winning the prestigious Emperor's Cup
and the Japanese Super Cup
.
At Arsenal, Wenger became the first non-British manager to win the Double in 1998 and replicated the achievement in 2002. In 2004, he became the only manager in Premier League history to go through an entire season undefeated, a run which ended at 49 games. Wenger's tenure also brought Arsenal a first appearance in a Champions League final in 2006
at Paris
; the team however lost to FC Barcelona
late on.
Despite a trophy barren spell in recent seasons, Wenger is widely regarded by many as one of the world's best managers. He has been dubbed a "miracle worker" by former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein
for achieving consistency with minimal resources and is often credited for revolutionising the state of English football. The nickname Le Professeur was given to him by former Arsenal players and is still used by fans and the British media today, reflecting his astute and forward thinking approach.
Wenger is also renowned for being multilingual; in addition to speaking fluent French
, German
and English
, he commands some Italian
, Spanish
, Portuguese
and Japanese
.
with an older sister and brother, Guy. His parents owned an automobile spare-parts business in Strasbourg, as well as a bistro
in Duttlenheim called La Croix d'Or. Speaking of his upbringing above La Croix d'Or, he stated in an address to the League Managers Association
:
by the team's manager Max Hild, who would go on to become his mentor, advising Wenger on managerial decisions later in his career, and whose team had been noted for playing the "best amateur football" in Alsace. Wenger's playing career was modest. He played as a defender
for various amateur clubs, while studying at the Faculté des sciences économiques et de gestion of University of Strasbourg
, where he completed a master's degree in 1971. Wenger turned professional in 1978, making his debut for RC Strasbourg
against Monaco. He only made twelve appearances for the team, including two as they won the Ligue 1
title in 1978–79, and played once in the UEFA Cup in the same season. In 1981, he obtained a manager's diploma and was appointed the coach of the club's youth team. After his stint at Strasbourg, Wenger joined AS Cannes
as assistant manager in 1983.
, which he joined in 1984, but he enjoyed little success there – during his third and final season in charge, Nancy finished 19th and were relegated to the second tier of French football (now Ligue 2
). His managerial career took off when he became the manager of AS Monaco
in 1987. He won the league in 1988 (his first season in charge) and the French Cup
in 1991, and signed high-calibre players such as Glenn Hoddle
, George Weah
and Jürgen Klinsmann
. He also signed 23-year old Youri Djorkaeff
from Strasbourg
; the future World Cup winner finished joint top goalscorer in Ligue 1, with 20 goals during Wenger's final season in France. Wenger was shortlisted for the managerial role at Bayern Munich, but could not take the job due to Monaco's board refusing to allow them to talk with Wenger, only to release Wenger several weeks later after the post was filled.
, with whom he won the Emperor's Cup
, the national cup competition. He also took the club from the bottom three to runners-up position in the league, its best showing until 2010, when his former protegé Dragan Stojković
led the club to its first title, citing Wenger's positive influence and continued advice throughout the season. His success at the club led to him winning the J. League Manager of the Year
award in 1995, the first foreign manager to do so.
At Grampus, he hired former Valenciennes
manager Boro Primorac
, whom he had met during the 1993 match-fixing scandal involving Olympique de Marseille
, as his assistant. Wenger, who long held the view that Marseille was acting improperly, fully supported the Bosnian
manager when he attempted (ultimately with success) to clear himself from any wrongdoing. Primorac would remain Wenger's 'right-hand man' for years to come, a position he still holds today.
– the vice-chairman of Arsenal
, whom he had met during a match between Arsenal
and Queens Park Rangers
in 1988. After the sacking of Bruce Rioch
in August 1996, Gérard Houllier
, the then technical director of the French Football Federation
advised Dein to consider Wenger as the club's managerial replacement. Despite the bookmakers installing former Barcelona
player and manager Johan Cruyff
as the favourite to take over from Rioch, Arsenal confirmed Wenger's appointment on 30 September 1996, with him officially starting work the following day. Wenger was Arsenal's first manager from outside of the British Isles. Though he had previously been touted as a potential technical director of the Football Association
, Wenger was a relative unknown in England, with the Evening Standard
newspaper greeting his appointment with the headline 'Arsene Who?'.
A month before formally taking charge of the team, Wenger requested that the club sign French midfielders Patrick Vieira
and Rémi Garde
. His first match was a 2–0 away victory over Blackburn Rovers
on 12 October 1996. Arsenal finished third in Wenger's first season, missing out on second place (occupied by Newcastle United
), and hence Champions League qualification on goal difference.
In his second season (1997–98), Arsenal won both the Premier League and FA Cup
, the second Double in the club's history. The team, written off by many journalists after losing 1–3 at home to Blackburn Rovers had made up a twelve-point deficit on Manchester United
at the turn of the year and secured the league title with two games to spare. The success was built on the inherited defence of Tony Adams
, Steve Bould
, Nigel Winterburn
, Lee Dixon
and Martin Keown
who kept seven consecutive clean sheets between January and March 1998. Striker Dennis Bergkamp
and a blend of Wenger's new signings, Emmanuel Petit
as a partner for Patrick Vieira
, winger Marc Overmars
, and teenage striker Nicolas Anelka
also flourished.
The following few seasons were comparatively barren with a series of near misses. In 1999 they failed to retain the Premier League title, losing to Manchester United by a single point on the final day of the season, and United also eliminated Arsenal in extra time after a goal from Ryan Giggs
in a FA Cup semi-final. A year later, Arsenal lost the UEFA Cup final
to Galatasaray
on penalties and in 2001 were beaten by Liverpool
in the final minutes of the FA Cup final. Wenger resolved to bring new players to the squad, with the controversial signing of out-of-contract Tottenham defender and former captain Sol Campbell
, as well as first-team players, such as Fredrik Ljungberg
, Thierry Henry
and Robert Pirès
.
The new signings helped Wenger achieve the Double once more in 2002. The crowning moment was the win against Manchester United at Old Trafford
in the penultimate game of the season. Sylvain Wiltord
scored the winner in the 57th minute to secure the club's 12th league championship and third double; four days earlier Arsenal beat Chelsea 2–0 in the final of the FA Cup via goals from Ray Parlour
and Fredrik Ljungberg. The team remarkably scored in every single league fixture and remained unbeaten away from home, winning 13 and drawing five.
Arsenal extended their good form into the 2002–03 season, overhauling Nottingham Forest
's top-flight record of 22 league matches without defeat and equalled Manchester United's Premier League total of 29 matches unbeaten—they eclipsed the feat after beating Sunderland 3–1 in October 2002. The team's impressive run led to Wenger in an interview with the Daily Mirror declare that Arsenal could go the entire season unbeaten. Arsenal however lost to Everton
— their first league defeat in over 10 months but ascended into an eight point lead over rivals Manchester United by March 2003. In the latter stages of the season, United overhauled the Gunners as Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead against Bolton Wanderers
to draw 2–2 and then lost at home 2–3 to Leeds United
. Wenger was compensated with a 1–0 win over Southampton
in the FA Cup final, becoming the first manager since Keith Burkinshaw
to retain the trophy.
In 2004
, Arsenal made history by winning the Premier League title without a single loss, the first top-flight team to achieve such a feat since Preston North End
in the 1888–89
season. Wenger, who was derided for suggesting that Arsenal could go unbeaten a year ago later reflected that his comments were "a season too early". Arsenal's run of 49 league games unbeaten came to an end with a 2–0 defeat at Manchester United on 24 October 2004. The team enjoyed another relatively strong league campaign, but finished second to Chelsea who ended the season 12 points infront. Consolation again came in the FA Cup in 2005, Arsenal defeating Manchester United on penalties after a scoreless final.
Arsenal endured two comparatively poor seasons in 2005–06 and 2006–07, finishing fourth in the Premier League on both occasions. Arsenal in a resurgent form threatened to take the Premier League by storm in 2007–08
, leading the league for much of the season, but were overhauled by both Chelsea and winners Manchester United after a shocking open ankle fracture to their forward Eduardo unsettled Arsenal's relatively young squad for a few weeks.
In all, Arsenal have won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups under Wenger, making him Arsenal's most successful manager in terms of trophies. However, the UEFA Champions League
title still eludes him, the closest Arsenal have come was when they reached the final in 2005–06, the first time in club history, which they lost 2–1 to Barcelona
.
In October 2004, he signed a contract extension that would keep him at Arsenal through the 2007–08 season. The then Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein
stated that Wenger has a "job for life" at Arsenal, and planned to offer Wenger a role on the Arsenal board once he retires as a manager. Wenger's future at Arsenal was thrust into question when David Dein left the Arsenal board on 18 April 2007, and rumours kept circulating that Wenger might leave to become a manager at Real Madrid
. However, on 6 September 2007, Wenger agreed to sign a new three-year contract at Arsenal. Just a few months earlier Wenger led his side to the 2007 Football League Cup Final
, where Arsenal lost 2–1 to Chelsea, despite taking the lead.
In August 2010, he signed a three-year contract to continue management of Arsenal until June 2014. His side were on course for a quadruple trophy haul in 2010–11
before a collapse to Birmingham City
in the League Cup Final
following a mix-up in the Arsenal defence. This was followed by a run of just two wins in eleven Premier League games to take them from title contenders to a fourth place finish, as well as exits in FA Cup and Champions League at the hands of Manchester United and Barcelona respectively.
At the start of 2011–12
, Wenger was forced to sell star talents Cesc Fàbregas
and Samir Nasri
. Suspensions and injuries left an understrength team to face Manchester United at Old Trafford
on 29 August, and the result was a 8–2 defeat, Arsenal's worst defeat for 115 years. After the game Alex Ferguson
defended Wenger from increasing criticism, as some lambasted the Frenchman for refusing to pay big money to bring established stars to the club.
, Wenger has instituted a fluid 4–3–3 formation at Arsenal, with the front five attackers changing positions freely during the match.
Wenger had a direct input into the design of the new Emirates Stadium
, which opened in 2006, and the move to a new training ground at London Colney
.
n George Weah
, who later became FIFA World Player of the Year
with Milan
from Cameroon
ian side Tonnerre Yaoundé
, and Nigeria
n Victor Ikpeba
, who later became African Player of the Year from R.F.C. de Liège
. At Arsenal, Wenger signed young, relatively unknown players such as Patrick Vieira
, Francesc Fàbregas
, Robin van Persie
and Kolo Touré
, and helped their transition to become world-class players. Notably, the defence, which set a new record after going 10 consecutive games without conceding a goal on the way to the UEFA Champions League
final against Barcelona
in 2005–06, cost Arsenal less than £5 million to assemble.
, who had been signed by Arsenal a year before Wenger joined, reached his peak under Wenger. He also helped his former protégé at Monaco, Thierry Henry
develop into a striker, subsequently becoming Arsenal's all-time top scorer and captain. Wenger stood by captain Tony Adams
after he had admitted to alcoholism in 1996. He supported Adams during rehabilitation, and the player returned to form and likely extended his career by several years. Wenger initially was planning to replace them, but later realised that he did not need to.
Wenger also reformed the training and dietary regimes, ridding the club of its drinking and junk-food culture. He brought in dieticans to explain the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and acquired the help of Philippe Boixel, an osteopath for the France national football team
who every month worked on the realignment of the players' bodies. The innovations had a desirable effect on the team as it prolonged the careers of Lee Dixon
, Martin Keown
, Ray Parlour
and David Seaman
.
from Paris Saint-Germain for only £500,000 and his subsequent sale to Real Madrid
just two years later for £23.5 million. This enabled Wenger to buy three players, Thierry Henry
, Robert Pirès
, and Sylvain Wiltord
, who all played significant roles for the first team in the early 2000s. The sale also helped the club fund for it's new training centre
at London Colney
.
According to Arsenal's majority owner Stan Kroenke, American baseball
manager Billy Beane
, whose ability to consistently field strong teams on limited budgets has become famous through the best-seller Moneyball, has stated that the association football manager he admires the most is Arsène Wenger for "his ability to spend money and extract value" and because he "can do that better than other people." Kroenke went on to claim that Arsène Wenger is actually "Billy Beane’s idol."
and stated:
″I do not want to go too much to a centralised, computerised society. I'm more of a liberal, but I'm also in favour of common sense and good management.″ He has however criticised the long term strategies of other clubs, namely Chelsea
, Manchester City
and Real Madrid
for paying excessive transfer fees on players to achieve instant success—something Wenger refers to as 'financial doping'.
.
David Dein
, former vice-chairman of Arsenal, described Wenger as the most important manager in the club's history: "Arsene's a miracle worker. He's revolutionized the club. He's turned players into world-class players. Since he has been here, we have seen football from another planet." Similar sentiments have been expressed by his fellow peers and former players, most notably from Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, Patrick Vieira
and Brian Clough
, who described Wenger as a "top, top manager" after surpassing his Nottingham Forest
side's record of 42 matches unbeaten.
Wenger was awarded France's highest decoration, the Légion d'Honneur
, in 2002 and in the Queen's Birthday Honours List
of 2003, he along with fellow Frenchman Gérard Houllier
were awarded honorary OBE
's for their services to British football. In
recognition of a decade at Arsenal, Wenger became the second foreign manager after Italian
-born Dario Gradi
to be inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame
in 2006. Furthermore, a commissioned bronze bust of Wenger, similar to the earlier version of Herbert Chapman
was unveiled as a tribute to him by the board of directors of Arsenal, at the club's AGM
on 18 October 2007.
In January 2011, it was announced that Wenger was voted World Coach of the Decade by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics
. The organization aggregated the results from each year of the decade, and Wenger had narrowly beaten Sir Alex Ferguson
and José Mourinho
for the honour.
Wenger's Arsenal sides were often criticised for their indiscipline, receiving 73 red cards between 1996 and 2008. However, in both 2004 and 2005, Wenger's Arsenal won the Premier League's Fair Play League tables for sporting behaviour and almost repeated the feat in 2006, finishing second. Their record as one of the most sporting clubs in the division continued up to 2009 with the club always a feature in top four of the Fair Play table. Wenger's team again topped the fair play table for the 2009–10 season.
In 1999, Wenger offered Sheffield United
a replay of their FA Cup fifth round match immediately after the match had finished, due to the controversial circumstances in which it was won. Arsenal's winning goal, scored by Marc Overmars
, had resulted from Kanu
failing to return the ball to the opposition after it had been kicked into touch to allow Sheffield United's Lee Morris
receive treatment for an injury. Arsenal went on to win the replayed match 2–1.
manager Sir Alex Ferguson
. This rivalry reached its culmination in the infamous "Pizzagate" incident at Old Trafford
in October 2004 after a controversial penalty resulted in a 2–0 defeat and ended Arsenal's 49 game unbeaten Premier League run. After the match, a member of the Arsenal side allegedly threw food at the opposition in the tunnel. Wenger was fined £15,000 for calling United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy
"a cheat" in a post-match television interview. He was later fined for again calling van Nistelrooy a cheat, demonstrating that he firmly believed his claim. Both managers have since agreed to tone down their words in an attempt to defuse the rivalry.
manager José Mourinho
. Mourinho accused Wenger of having an "unprofessional obsession" with Chelsea, labeling Wenger a "rat" and "voyeur
". Mourinho was quoted as saying, "He's worried about us, he's always talking about us – it's Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea". Wenger responded by pointing out he was only answering journalists' questions about Chelsea, and described Mourinho's attitude as "disrespectful". Mourinho has since been quoted as saying that he regrets the "voyeur" comment, and Wenger has accepted his apology.
, Steve Sidwell
, Jermaine Pennant
, Matthew Upson
, and perhaps most notably Ashley Cole
, while young English talent such as Theo Walcott
, Kieran Gibbs
and Jack Wilshere
, still build careers at Arsenal. However, Wenger has often been criticised by other Premier League managers for not fielding many British players. In a league match against Crystal Palace
on 14 February 2005, Arsenal fielded a 16-man squad that featured no British players—the first time in the club's history. In March 2006, West Ham United
's former manager Alan Pardew
said that Arsenal's Champions League success was "not necessarily a triumph for British football". Wenger saw the issue of nationality as irrelevant and said, "When you represent a club, it's about values and qualities, not about passports", also implying that there was a racial aspect to what Pardew had said. In response, Pardew said that, "A manager who is married to a Swede and has signed players from all over the world cannot be called racist."
Other pundits, including Trevor Brooking
, the director of football development at The Football Association
, have defended Wenger. Brooking has stated that a lack of English players in "one of England's most successful clubs" was more of a reflection of England's talent pool itself rather than Wenger, an opinion subsequently shared by many others, such as youth team coach and ex-Liverpool player Craig Johnston
.
In August 2000, he was charged with "alleged threatening behaviour and physical intimidation" towards fourth official Paul Taylor
after Arsenal's 1-0 defeat at Sunderland on the opening day of the 2000-01
season. A FA disciplinary commission found Wenger guilty, carrying a 12-week touchline ban and a fine of four weeks' salary. He successfully appealed the ban but was reprimanded and fined £10,000 for his actions.
Following the 2007 Football League Cup Final
, he called a linesman
a 'liar', leading to an investigation by The Football Association, a fine of £2500 and a warning.
, London. Away from managerial duties, he is a football consultant for French television station TF1
, a position which he has held since 1998. Wenger is also a world brand ambassador
for Nike Football
and FIFA World Cup
sponsor Castrol
. As part of the latter's arrangement, he has conducted several training camps for international youth teams worldwide, as well as advising and providing input to the Castrol Performance Index
, FIFA's official ratings system, used for gauging player ratings at official FIFA tournaments ever since the system's inception.
Wenger has also authored a book on football management exclusively for the Japanese market, , published by Japan Broadcast Publishing (a subsidiary of NHK
) in September 1997, in which he highlights his managerial philosophy, ideals and values, as well as his thoughts on Japanese football and the game as a whole.
In 2007, Wenger had an asteroid, 33179 Arsènewenger
, named after him by the astronomer Ian P. Griffin
, who states Arsenal as his favourite football club.
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Note
Runner-up:
Runner-up:
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(aʁsɛn vɛnɡɛʁ; born 22 October 1949) is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
since 1996. He is currently the club's longest serving manager and most successful, based on trophies won.
After completing a Bachelor's
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
and Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
and Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
respectively at the University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
Wenger began his short lived playing career, moving to three different French clubs in the space of eight years—the last of which being RC Strasbourg
RC Strasbourg
Racing Club de Strasbourg is a French association football club founded in 1906 and professional since 1933, based in the city of Strasbourg, in Alsace...
in 1981. He briefly managed top-flight club AS Nancy-Lorraine, before entering a highly successful period at AS Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
, winning the Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
championship in his first season and later the Coupe de France
Coupe de France
The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...
in 1991, along with developing young talent such as Youri Djorkaeff
Youri Djorkaeff
Youri Raffi Djorkaeff is a former French international footballer who played as a forward or as an attacking midfielder. With the French national team, Djorkaeff won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000...
, George Weah
George Weah
George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah is a Liberian humanitarian and politician, and an ex-footballer. He ran unsuccessfully for president in the 2005 election, losing to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the second round of voting...
and Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
. In 1995, he coached Japanese J-League side Nagoya Grampus Eight
Nagoya Grampus Eight
are a Japanese association football club that play in the J. League. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and originally founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp...
winning the prestigious Emperor's Cup
Emperor's Cup
, commonly known as or , is a Japanese association football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football tournament in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J. League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, Japan Soccer League...
and the Japanese Super Cup
Japanese Super Cup
The Japanese Super Cup or is an annual one-match football competition in Japan organised by J. League and the Japan Football Association . This competition serves as the season opener and is played between the J. League Champions and the Emperor's Cup Winners of the previous season...
.
At Arsenal, Wenger became the first non-British manager to win the Double in 1998 and replicated the achievement in 2002. In 2004, he became the only manager in Premier League history to go through an entire season undefeated, a run which ended at 49 games. Wenger's tenure also brought Arsenal a first appearance in a Champions League final in 2006
2006 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2006 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Barcelona of Spain and Arsenal of England at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, France, on Wednesday, 17...
at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
; the team however lost to FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
late on.
Despite a trophy barren spell in recent seasons, Wenger is widely regarded by many as one of the world's best managers. He has been dubbed a "miracle worker" by former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein
David Dein
David Barry Dein is the former vice-chairman of Arsenal Football Club and former vice-chairman of the Football Association. He was also the President of the G-14 group of European football clubs between October 2006 and May 2007 and has sat on various committees within FIFA and UEFA including...
for achieving consistency with minimal resources and is often credited for revolutionising the state of English football. The nickname Le Professeur was given to him by former Arsenal players and is still used by fans and the British media today, reflecting his astute and forward thinking approach.
Wenger is also renowned for being multilingual; in addition to speaking fluent French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, he commands some Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
and Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
.
Early life
The son of Alphonse and wife Louise Wenger, Wenger was born in Strasbourg and grew up in the nearby village of DuttlenheimDuttlenheim
Duttlenheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.Arsène Wenger, manager of Arsenal F.C., grew up here. His parents ran the pub La Croix d'Or, where he would spend hours studying the behaviour of the football-loving customers.-References:*...
with an older sister and brother, Guy. His parents owned an automobile spare-parts business in Strasbourg, as well as a bistro
Bistro
A bistro, sometimes spelled bistrot, is, in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. Home cooking with robust earthy dishes, and slow-cooked foods like cassoulet are typical...
in Duttlenheim called La Croix d'Or. Speaking of his upbringing above La Croix d'Or, he stated in an address to the League Managers Association
League Managers Association
The League Managers Association is the organisation which collectively represents all Premiership and Football League managers in English football...
:
Playing career
Wenger spent much of his youth playing football and organizing matches at the village team, FC Duttlenheim, where he made the first team at 16 and was subsequently recruited to nearby third division club AS MutzigMutzig
Mutzig is a commune located at the entrance of the Bruche River Valley, in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace, in north-eastern France. the commune of Mutzig is on the Route des Vins d'Alsace.-History:...
by the team's manager Max Hild, who would go on to become his mentor, advising Wenger on managerial decisions later in his career, and whose team had been noted for playing the "best amateur football" in Alsace. Wenger's playing career was modest. He played as a defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
for various amateur clubs, while studying at the Faculté des sciences économiques et de gestion of University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
, where he completed a master's degree in 1971. Wenger turned professional in 1978, making his debut for RC Strasbourg
RC Strasbourg
Racing Club de Strasbourg is a French association football club founded in 1906 and professional since 1933, based in the city of Strasbourg, in Alsace...
against Monaco. He only made twelve appearances for the team, including two as they won the Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
title in 1978–79, and played once in the UEFA Cup in the same season. In 1981, he obtained a manager's diploma and was appointed the coach of the club's youth team. After his stint at Strasbourg, Wenger joined AS Cannes
AS Cannes
Association Sportive de Cannes Football is a French association football club based in Cannes. The club was formed 1902 as a sports club and currently play in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth division of French football. Cannes plays its home matches at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin...
as assistant manager in 1983.
Managerial career
France
Wenger's first senior job was at Nancy-LorraineAS Nancy
Association Sportive Nancy-Lorraine is a French association football club based in Nancy. The club was founded in 1967 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Nancy plays its home matches at the Stade Marcel Picot in Tomblaine, a commune located in the Arrondissement of...
, which he joined in 1984, but he enjoyed little success there – during his third and final season in charge, Nancy finished 19th and were relegated to the second tier of French football (now Ligue 2
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...
). His managerial career took off when he became the manager of AS Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
in 1987. He won the league in 1988 (his first season in charge) and the French Cup
Coupe de France
The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...
in 1991, and signed high-calibre players such as Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
, George Weah
George Weah
George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah is a Liberian humanitarian and politician, and an ex-footballer. He ran unsuccessfully for president in the 2005 election, losing to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the second round of voting...
and Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...
. He also signed 23-year old Youri Djorkaeff
Youri Djorkaeff
Youri Raffi Djorkaeff is a former French international footballer who played as a forward or as an attacking midfielder. With the French national team, Djorkaeff won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000...
from Strasbourg
RC Strasbourg
Racing Club de Strasbourg is a French association football club founded in 1906 and professional since 1933, based in the city of Strasbourg, in Alsace...
; the future World Cup winner finished joint top goalscorer in Ligue 1, with 20 goals during Wenger's final season in France. Wenger was shortlisted for the managerial role at Bayern Munich, but could not take the job due to Monaco's board refusing to allow them to talk with Wenger, only to release Wenger several weeks later after the post was filled.
Japan
Wenger moved on to a successful 18-month stint with the Japanese J. League team Nagoya Grampus EightNagoya Grampus
are a Japanese association football club that play in the J. League. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and originally founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp...
, with whom he won the Emperor's Cup
Emperor's Cup
, commonly known as or , is a Japanese association football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football tournament in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J. League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, Japan Soccer League...
, the national cup competition. He also took the club from the bottom three to runners-up position in the league, its best showing until 2010, when his former protegé Dragan Stojković
Dragan Stojkovic
Dragan Stojković , also known under the nickname Piksi is a Serbian former footballer and current manager of J...
led the club to its first title, citing Wenger's positive influence and continued advice throughout the season. His success at the club led to him winning the J. League Manager of the Year
J. League Manager of the Year
J. League Manager of the Year is an annual award given to one manager by the J. League based on their performance during the season. The award does not necessarily go to the manager of the champions, although for the last seven years that has been the case....
award in 1995, the first foreign manager to do so.
At Grampus, he hired former Valenciennes
Valenciennes FC
Valenciennes Football Club is a French association football club based in Valenciennes. The club was founded in 1913 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Valenciennes plays its home matches at the recently-built Stade du Hainaut located within the city...
manager Boro Primorac
Boro Primorac
Boro Primorac is a Croatian football coach and a former Yugoslav international player. Currently, he is the first team coach at Arsenal....
, whom he had met during the 1993 match-fixing scandal involving Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
, as his assistant. Wenger, who long held the view that Marseille was acting improperly, fully supported the Bosnian
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
manager when he attempted (ultimately with success) to clear himself from any wrongdoing. Primorac would remain Wenger's 'right-hand man' for years to come, a position he still holds today.
Arsenal
By then, Wenger had become a close friend of David DeinDavid Dein
David Barry Dein is the former vice-chairman of Arsenal Football Club and former vice-chairman of the Football Association. He was also the President of the G-14 group of European football clubs between October 2006 and May 2007 and has sat on various committees within FIFA and UEFA including...
– the vice-chairman of Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, whom he had met during a match between Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
in 1988. After the sacking of Bruce Rioch
Bruce Rioch
Bruce David Rioch is an English-born football manager and former player. He was manager of Aalborg BK in the Danish Superliga, until his sacking on 23 October 2008....
in August 1996, Gérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season....
, the then technical director of the French Football Federation
French Football Federation
The French Football Federation is the governing body of association football in France, as well as the overseas departments and territories . It was formed in 1919 and is based in the capital Paris...
advised Dein to consider Wenger as the club's managerial replacement. Despite the bookmakers installing former Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
player and manager Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff OON , known as Johan Cruyff, is a retired Dutch footballer and is currently the manager of the Catalan national team as well as a member of the AFC Ajax board of directors. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, which is a record jointly held with...
as the favourite to take over from Rioch, Arsenal confirmed Wenger's appointment on 30 September 1996, with him officially starting work the following day. Wenger was Arsenal's first manager from outside of the British Isles. Though he had previously been touted as a potential technical director of the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
, Wenger was a relative unknown in England, with the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
newspaper greeting his appointment with the headline 'Arsene Who?'.
A month before formally taking charge of the team, Wenger requested that the club sign French midfielders Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
and Rémi Garde
Rémi Garde
Rémi Garde |Rhône]]) is a French football manager, and current coach of Olympique Lyonnais.-Club career:Garde started his playing career at Lyon in 1982, helping the club achieve promotion to Ligue 1 in 1989. Playing as a defensive midfielder or sweeper, he became club captain and made his debut...
. His first match was a 2–0 away victory over Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
on 12 October 1996. Arsenal finished third in Wenger's first season, missing out on second place (occupied by Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
), and hence Champions League qualification on goal difference.
In his second season (1997–98), Arsenal won both the Premier League and FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, the second Double in the club's history. The team, written off by many journalists after losing 1–3 at home to Blackburn Rovers had made up a twelve-point deficit on Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
at the turn of the year and secured the league title with two games to spare. The success was built on the inherited defence of Tony Adams
Tony Adams (footballer)
Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...
, Steve Bould
Steve Bould
Stephen Andrew Bould is an English former football player and current coach. He played professionally for Stoke City, Torquay United, Arsenal and Sunderland.-Stoke City:...
, Nigel Winterburn
Nigel Winterburn
Nigel Winterburn is a retired English footballer who played at left-back for Arsenal. He is best known for his role alongside Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Lee Dixon, forming a celebrated defensive line in the Premier League and European football during the 1990s.-Early career:Winterburn was born...
, Lee Dixon
Lee Dixon
Lee Michael Dixon is a former English professional footballer born in Manchester.He formed part of the Arsenal defence from the late 1980s, through till 2002. He was capped 22 times for England, scoring once....
and Martin Keown
Martin Keown
Martin Raymond Keown is a former English footballer. Widely regarded as one of the best man-markers of his generation, Keown played for six different football clubs during his career but it was with Arsenal that he will be best remembered. Keown made over three hundred appearances for Arsenal...
who kept seven consecutive clean sheets between January and March 1998. Striker Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level...
and a blend of Wenger's new signings, Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel "Manu" Laurent Petit is a retired French footballer, who played his club football for Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea...
as a partner for Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
, winger Marc Overmars
Marc Overmars
Marc Overmars is a retired Dutch footballer. He is best known as a right-footed left winger, although he is able to use both his feet with equal precision and power...
, and teenage striker Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Anelka
Abdul-Salam Bilal on 14 March 1979) is a French international footballer, who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Chelsea. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team...
also flourished.
The following few seasons were comparatively barren with a series of near misses. In 1999 they failed to retain the Premier League title, losing to Manchester United by a single point on the final day of the season, and United also eliminated Arsenal in extra time after a goal from Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
in a FA Cup semi-final. A year later, Arsenal lost the UEFA Cup final
2000 UEFA Cup Final
The 2000 UEFA Cup Final was a football match contested between Galatasaray of Turkey and Arsenal of England on 17 May 2000 at Parken in Copenhagen...
to Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
on penalties and in 2001 were beaten by Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in the final minutes of the FA Cup final. Wenger resolved to bring new players to the squad, with the controversial signing of out-of-contract Tottenham defender and former captain Sol Campbell
Sol Campbell
Sulzeer Jeremiah "Sol" Campbell is an English footballer who is currently a free agent. A central defender, Campbell has played for Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Notts County and Newcastle United, as well as the English national team.Born in East London to Jamaican parents, Campbell's...
, as well as first-team players, such as Fredrik Ljungberg
Fredrik Ljungberg
Karl Fredrik "Freddie" Ljungberg is a Swedish footballer who currently plays as a right winger for Shimizu S-Pulse in Japan. Ljungberg was captain of the Swedish national team until he announced his international retirement after UEFA Euro 2008.Ljungberg was a model for Calvin Klein underwear...
, Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
and Robert Pirès
Robert Pirès
Robert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04...
.
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
in the penultimate game of the season. Sylvain Wiltord
Sylvain Wiltord
Sylvain Claude Wiltord is a French footballer who currently plays for FC Nantes. With the French national team, Wiltord has won Euro 2000 and reached the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup....
scored the winner in the 57th minute to secure the club's 12th league championship and third double; four days earlier Arsenal beat Chelsea 2–0 in the final of the FA Cup via goals from Ray Parlour
Ray Parlour
Raymond "Ray" Parlour , is a retired English footballer. He spent his career playing for Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Hull City. During his Arsenal career he was nicknamed "The Romford Pelé"; although the nickname was given with an ironic sense of humour, on account of his solid performance but...
and Fredrik Ljungberg. The team remarkably scored in every single league fixture and remained unbeaten away from home, winning 13 and drawing five.
Arsenal extended their good form into the 2002–03 season, overhauling Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
's top-flight record of 22 league matches without defeat and equalled Manchester United's Premier League total of 29 matches unbeaten—they eclipsed the feat after beating Sunderland 3–1 in October 2002. The team's impressive run led to Wenger in an interview with the Daily Mirror declare that Arsenal could go the entire season unbeaten. Arsenal however lost to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
— their first league defeat in over 10 months but ascended into an eight point lead over rivals Manchester United by March 2003. In the latter stages of the season, United overhauled the Gunners as Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
to draw 2–2 and then lost at home 2–3 to Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
. Wenger was compensated with a 1–0 win over Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
in the FA Cup final, becoming the first manager since Keith Burkinshaw
Keith Burkinshaw
Harry Keith Burkinshaw is an English former professional footballer and football manager.-Playing career:...
to retain the trophy.
In 2004
2003-04 in English football
The 2003-04 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Arsenal completed the entire campaign without losing a single league game....
, Arsenal made history by winning the Premier League title without a single loss, the first top-flight team to achieve such a feat since Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
in the 1888–89
1888-89 in English football
The 1888–1889 season was the 18th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:A new competition, The Football League, started this season...
season. Wenger, who was derided for suggesting that Arsenal could go unbeaten a year ago later reflected that his comments were "a season too early". Arsenal's run of 49 league games unbeaten came to an end with a 2–0 defeat at Manchester United on 24 October 2004. The team enjoyed another relatively strong league campaign, but finished second to Chelsea who ended the season 12 points infront. Consolation again came in the FA Cup in 2005, Arsenal defeating Manchester United on penalties after a scoreless final.
Arsenal endured two comparatively poor seasons in 2005–06 and 2006–07, finishing fourth in the Premier League on both occasions. Arsenal in a resurgent form threatened to take the Premier League by storm in 2007–08
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
, leading the league for much of the season, but were overhauled by both Chelsea and winners Manchester United after a shocking open ankle fracture to their forward Eduardo unsettled Arsenal's relatively young squad for a few weeks.
In all, Arsenal have won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups under Wenger, making him Arsenal's most successful manager in terms of trophies. However, the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
title still eludes him, the closest Arsenal have come was when they reached the final in 2005–06, the first time in club history, which they lost 2–1 to Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
.
In October 2004, he signed a contract extension that would keep him at Arsenal through the 2007–08 season. The then Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein
David Dein
David Barry Dein is the former vice-chairman of Arsenal Football Club and former vice-chairman of the Football Association. He was also the President of the G-14 group of European football clubs between October 2006 and May 2007 and has sat on various committees within FIFA and UEFA including...
stated that Wenger has a "job for life" at Arsenal, and planned to offer Wenger a role on the Arsenal board once he retires as a manager. Wenger's future at Arsenal was thrust into question when David Dein left the Arsenal board on 18 April 2007, and rumours kept circulating that Wenger might leave to become a manager at Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
. However, on 6 September 2007, Wenger agreed to sign a new three-year contract at Arsenal. Just a few months earlier Wenger led his side to the 2007 Football League Cup Final
2007 Football League Cup Final
The 2007 Carling Cup Final was played on Sunday, 25 February 2007 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. It was contested between Arsenal and Chelsea, making it the first all-London final in the competition's history; the two sides had previously met in Cardiff for the 2002 FA Cup Final. The game...
, where Arsenal lost 2–1 to Chelsea, despite taking the lead.
In August 2010, he signed a three-year contract to continue management of Arsenal until June 2014. His side were on course for a quadruple trophy haul in 2010–11
2010–11 in English football
The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May...
before a collapse to Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in the League Cup Final
2011 Football League Cup Final
The 2011 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 2010–11 Football League Cup, the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and the Football League. The match was contested by Arsenal and Birmingham City, at Wembley Stadium in...
following a mix-up in the Arsenal defence. This was followed by a run of just two wins in eleven Premier League games to take them from title contenders to a fourth place finish, as well as exits in FA Cup and Champions League at the hands of Manchester United and Barcelona respectively.
At the start of 2011–12
2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season
The 2011–12 season is Arsenal Football Clubs 20th season in the Premier League, and also marks the club's 125th anniversary. Arsenal will seek to win their first trophy for six seasons, competing in the Premier League, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the UEFA Champions League.-Pre-season:Arsenal's...
, Wenger was forced to sell star talents Cesc Fàbregas
Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
and Samir Nasri
Samir Nasri
Samir Nasri is a French international footballer who plays for English club Manchester City in the Premier League and the France national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger, although he has also been deployed in central midfield. Nasri is known for his technical...
. Suspensions and injuries left an understrength team to face Manchester United at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
on 29 August, and the result was a 8–2 defeat, Arsenal's worst defeat for 115 years. After the game Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
defended Wenger from increasing criticism, as some lambasted the Frenchman for refusing to pay big money to bring established stars to the club.
Approach and philosophy
Team management
Wenger has been described as a coach who "has spent his career building teams that combine the accumulation of silverware with a desire to entertain and attack", and as "a purist, dedicated to individual and collective technical quality". The Times notes that since 2003–04 Wenger's approach to the game has been an emphasis on attack. His style of play has been contrasted with the pragmatic approach of his rivals, but has also been criticised for lacking a "killer touch". Although Wenger for a number of years employed a 4–4–2 formation, since 2005, he has often relied on 4–5–1 with a lone striker and packed midfield, especially since the move to the wider pitch at Emirates Stadium, and in Champions League games. Beginning with the 2009–10 season, largely due to the development of Cesc FàbregasCesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
, Wenger has instituted a fluid 4–3–3 formation at Arsenal, with the front five attackers changing positions freely during the match.
Wenger had a direct input into the design of the new Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...
, which opened in 2006, and the move to a new training ground at London Colney
London Colney
London Colney is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. It is located to the north of London, at Junction 22 of the M25 motorway....
.
Developing young talent
Wenger has a strong reputation for unearthing young talent. At Monaco, he brought LiberiaLiberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
n George Weah
George Weah
George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah is a Liberian humanitarian and politician, and an ex-footballer. He ran unsuccessfully for president in the 2005 election, losing to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the second round of voting...
, who later became FIFA World Player of the Year
FIFA World Player of the Year
The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award given annually to the male and female player who were thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams...
with Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
from Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
ian side Tonnerre Yaoundé
Tonnerre Yaoundé
Tonnerre Kalara Club of Yaoundé are a football club based in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The club was most prominent during the 1980s, winning all of their 5 national championship during the decade. They have also won the national cup 5 times...
, and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n Victor Ikpeba
Victor Ikpeba
Victor Nosa Ikpeba is a former football forward from Nigeria. He has played thirty international matches and scored three goals for Nigeria, and played at the FIFA World Cups in 1994 and 1998...
, who later became African Player of the Year from R.F.C. de Liège
R.F.C. de Liège
Royal Football Club de Liège is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège. It currently plays in the Belgian Third Division. Its matricule is 4, meaning that it was the fourth club to register with the country's national federation, and the club was the first Belgian champion in history...
. At Arsenal, Wenger signed young, relatively unknown players such as Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
, Francesc Fàbregas
Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
, Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...
and Kolo Touré
Kolo Touré
Kolo Habib Touré is an Ivorian footballer who plays for Manchester City and Ivory Coast. Touré is a central defender. He is the elder brother of Manchester City team-mate Yaya Touré and Makasa's Ibrahim Touré.-Arsenal:...
, and helped their transition to become world-class players. Notably, the defence, which set a new record after going 10 consecutive games without conceding a goal on the way to the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
final against Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
in 2005–06, cost Arsenal less than £5 million to assemble.
Player management
As well as bringing in younger and relatively unknown talents to the club, Wenger has also seen a few of his veterans rejuvenate their careers at Arsenal. Dennis BergkampDennis Bergkamp
Dennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level...
, who had been signed by Arsenal a year before Wenger joined, reached his peak under Wenger. He also helped his former protégé at Monaco, Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
develop into a striker, subsequently becoming Arsenal's all-time top scorer and captain. Wenger stood by captain Tony Adams
Tony Adams (footballer)
Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...
after he had admitted to alcoholism in 1996. He supported Adams during rehabilitation, and the player returned to form and likely extended his career by several years. Wenger initially was planning to replace them, but later realised that he did not need to.
Wenger also reformed the training and dietary regimes, ridding the club of its drinking and junk-food culture. He brought in dieticans to explain the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and acquired the help of Philippe Boixel, an osteopath for the France national football team
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
who every month worked on the realignment of the players' bodies. The innovations had a desirable effect on the team as it prolonged the careers of Lee Dixon
Lee Dixon
Lee Michael Dixon is a former English professional footballer born in Manchester.He formed part of the Arsenal defence from the late 1980s, through till 2002. He was capped 22 times for England, scoring once....
, Martin Keown
Martin Keown
Martin Raymond Keown is a former English footballer. Widely regarded as one of the best man-markers of his generation, Keown played for six different football clubs during his career but it was with Arsenal that he will be best remembered. Keown made over three hundred appearances for Arsenal...
, Ray Parlour
Ray Parlour
Raymond "Ray" Parlour , is a retired English footballer. He spent his career playing for Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Hull City. During his Arsenal career he was nicknamed "The Romford Pelé"; although the nickname was given with an ironic sense of humour, on account of his solid performance but...
and David Seaman
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman MBE is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury...
.
Transfer policy
Although Wenger has made some big-money signings for Arsenal, his net transfer record is far superior to other leading Premier League clubs. A survey in 2007 found he was the only Premier League manager to have made a profit on transfers, and between 2004 and 2009, Wenger made an average profit of £4.4 million per season on transfers, far more than any other club. A notable example was the purchase of Nicolas AnelkaNicolas Anelka
Abdul-Salam Bilal on 14 March 1979) is a French international footballer, who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Chelsea. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team...
from Paris Saint-Germain for only £500,000 and his subsequent sale to Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
just two years later for £23.5 million. This enabled Wenger to buy three players, Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
, Robert Pirès
Robert Pirès
Robert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04...
, and Sylvain Wiltord
Sylvain Wiltord
Sylvain Claude Wiltord is a French footballer who currently plays for FC Nantes. With the French national team, Wiltord has won Euro 2000 and reached the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup....
, who all played significant roles for the first team in the early 2000s. The sale also helped the club fund for it's new training centre
Shenley Training Centre
The Shenley Training Centre is the state-of-art training ground of the Premier League club Arsenal FC. Located in Shenley, Hertfordshire, the multi-million pound project opened in 1999...
at London Colney
London Colney
London Colney is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. It is located to the north of London, at Junction 22 of the M25 motorway....
.
According to Arsenal's majority owner Stan Kroenke, American baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
manager Billy Beane
Billy Beane
William Lamar "Billy" Beane III is a former Major League Baseball player and the current general manager and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics...
, whose ability to consistently field strong teams on limited budgets has become famous through the best-seller Moneyball, has stated that the association football manager he admires the most is Arsène Wenger for "his ability to spend money and extract value" and because he "can do that better than other people." Kroenke went on to claim that Arsène Wenger is actually "Billy Beane’s idol."
Rules & regulations
Wenger opposes greater regulation in English footballFootball in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
and stated:
″I do not want to go too much to a centralised, computerised society. I'm more of a liberal, but I'm also in favour of common sense and good management.″ He has however criticised the long term strategies of other clubs, namely Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
and Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
for paying excessive transfer fees on players to achieve instant success—something Wenger refers to as 'financial doping'.
Plaudits and awards
Wenger has enjoyed a great deal of support from Arsenal's fans, who have demonstrated exceptional faith in the manager and his long-term vision. Despite not winning a trophy since 2005, which has led to criticism from people within the game, supporters regularly display banners affirming "Arsène knows" and "In Arsène we trust" during matches at the Emirates Stadium. At the Arsenal's valedictory campaign at Highbury in 2005–06, supporters showed appreciation by deciding to have a "Wenger Day" as one of various 'themed matchdays'. Wenger Day was held on his 56th birthday on 22 October 2005, on a match date against Manchester CityManchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
.
David Dein
David Dein
David Barry Dein is the former vice-chairman of Arsenal Football Club and former vice-chairman of the Football Association. He was also the President of the G-14 group of European football clubs between October 2006 and May 2007 and has sat on various committees within FIFA and UEFA including...
, former vice-chairman of Arsenal, described Wenger as the most important manager in the club's history: "Arsene's a miracle worker. He's revolutionized the club. He's turned players into world-class players. Since he has been here, we have seen football from another planet." Similar sentiments have been expressed by his fellow peers and former players, most notably from Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
and Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
, who described Wenger as a "top, top manager" after surpassing his Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
side's record of 42 matches unbeaten.
Wenger was awarded France's highest decoration, the Légion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, in 2002 and in the Queen's Birthday Honours List
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
of 2003, he along with fellow Frenchman Gérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier, OBE , is a French football manager, who was last manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He stepped down on 1 June 2011, following hospitalisation over heart problems towards the end of the 2010-2011 season....
were awarded honorary OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
's for their services to British football. In
recognition of a decade at Arsenal, Wenger became the second foreign manager after Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
-born Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi MBE is an Italian-born English football manager and former player, who was serving as manager of the Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy. He is a former manager of Crewe Alexandra, with whom he has been associated for almost thirty years.Gradi is notable for his 24-year first spell as manager...
to be inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame
English Football Hall of Fame
The English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum, currently being relocated to Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and managers who have become...
in 2006. Furthermore, a commissioned bronze bust of Wenger, similar to the earlier version of Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman was an English association football player and manager. Though he had an undistinguished playing career, he went on to become one of the most successful and influential managers in early 20th century English football, before his sudden death in 1934.As a player, Chapman played for...
was unveiled as a tribute to him by the board of directors of Arsenal, at the club's AGM
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
on 18 October 2007.
In January 2011, it was announced that Wenger was voted World Coach of the Decade by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics
International Federation of Football History & Statistics
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics is an organization that chronicles the history and records of Association football. It was founded on 27 March 1984 at Leipzig by Dr. Alfredo Pöge with the blessings of general secretary of the FIFA at the time, Dr. Helmut Käser...
. The organization aggregated the results from each year of the decade, and Wenger had narrowly beaten Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
and José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
for the honour.
Fair play
In 1999, Wenger offered Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
a replay of their FA Cup fifth round match immediately after the match had finished, due to the controversial circumstances in which it was won. Arsenal's winning goal, scored by Marc Overmars
Marc Overmars
Marc Overmars is a retired Dutch footballer. He is best known as a right-footed left winger, although he is able to use both his feet with equal precision and power...
, had resulted from Kanu
Nwankwo Kanu
Nwankwo Kanu, OON , or simply Kanu, is a Nigerian footballer who plays for Portsmouth. He was also a member of the Nigerian national team for 16 years from 1994 until 2010...
failing to return the ball to the opposition after it had been kicked into touch to allow Sheffield United's Lee Morris
Lee Morris (footballer)
Lee Morris is a professional footballer, was player-coach at Eastwood Town, but on 19 October 2011 Solihull Moors F.C. announced they had signed him as a player....
receive treatment for an injury. Arsenal went on to win the replayed match 2–1.
Rivalry with Sir Alex Ferguson
He is also well known for his rivalry with Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
manager Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
. This rivalry reached its culmination in the infamous "Pizzagate" incident at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
in October 2004 after a controversial penalty resulted in a 2–0 defeat and ended Arsenal's 49 game unbeaten Premier League run. After the match, a member of the Arsenal side allegedly threw food at the opposition in the tunnel. Wenger was fined £15,000 for calling United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals...
"a cheat" in a post-match television interview. He was later fined for again calling van Nistelrooy a cheat, demonstrating that he firmly believed his claim. Both managers have since agreed to tone down their words in an attempt to defuse the rivalry.
Conflict with José Mourinho
During October and November 2005, Wenger became embroiled in a war of words with then ChelseaChelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
manager José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
. Mourinho accused Wenger of having an "unprofessional obsession" with Chelsea, labeling Wenger a "rat" and "voyeur
Voyeurism
In clinical psychology, voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other activity usually considered to be of a private nature....
". Mourinho was quoted as saying, "He's worried about us, he's always talking about us – it's Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea". Wenger responded by pointing out he was only answering journalists' questions about Chelsea, and described Mourinho's attitude as "disrespectful". Mourinho has since been quoted as saying that he regrets the "voyeur" comment, and Wenger has accepted his apology.
Foreigners for Arsenal
Several English players have started their careers at Arsenal under Wenger, including David BentleyDavid Bentley
David Michael Bentley is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United as a winger, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur....
, Steve Sidwell
Steve Sidwell
Steven James "Steve" Sidwell is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Fulham in the Premier League. His previous clubs include Arsenal, Reading, Chelsea and Aston Villa.-Arsenal:...
, Jermaine Pennant
Jermaine Pennant
Jermaine Lloyd Pennant is a footballer who plays for Stoke City in the Premier League.Born in Nottingham, Pennant played for his local side Notts County as a youngster. He earned promising reviews in the youth team at County and Arsenal signed him in 1999...
, Matthew Upson
Matthew Upson
Matthew James Upson is an English footballer who plays for Stoke City in the Premier League. He is a central defender and he has played for England at full international level including at the 2010 World Cup....
, and perhaps most notably Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole is an Barbadian-English professional footballer who plays for Chelsea and the England national team. He plays as a left-back and has been named one of the best in the world....
, while young English talent such as Theo Walcott
Theo Walcott
Theo James Walcott is an English footballer of Jamaican descent who plays for Arsenal and the England national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton F.C. Academy. He is a striker who is usually deployed on the right wing as a wide forward to exploit his speed...
, Kieran Gibbs
Kieran Gibbs
Kieran James Ricardo Gibbs is an English footballer who plays for Arsenal and was a product of their academy who came to prominence during 2006-07 FA Youth Cup by scoring in the semi-final prior to his first-team breakthrough...
and Jack Wilshere
Jack Wilshere
Jack Andrew Garry Wilshere is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Arsenal and the England national team....
, still build careers at Arsenal. However, Wenger has often been criticised by other Premier League managers for not fielding many British players. In a league match against Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
on 14 February 2005, Arsenal fielded a 16-man squad that featured no British players—the first time in the club's history. In March 2006, West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
's former manager Alan Pardew
Alan Pardew
Alan Scott Pardew is an English football manager and former player, currently the manager of Newcastle United....
said that Arsenal's Champions League success was "not necessarily a triumph for British football". Wenger saw the issue of nationality as irrelevant and said, "When you represent a club, it's about values and qualities, not about passports", also implying that there was a racial aspect to what Pardew had said. In response, Pardew said that, "A manager who is married to a Swede and has signed players from all over the world cannot be called racist."
Other pundits, including Trevor Brooking
Trevor Brooking
Sir Trevor David Brooking CBE is a football player turned manager, on-air analyst, and administrator.Brooking attended Ripple Infants School and left Ilford County High School with 11 O-levels and 2 A-levels....
, the director of football development at The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
, have defended Wenger. Brooking has stated that a lack of English players in "one of England's most successful clubs" was more of a reflection of England's talent pool itself rather than Wenger, an opinion subsequently shared by many others, such as youth team coach and ex-Liverpool player Craig Johnston
Craig Johnston
Craig Johnston is a former football player who was one of the first Australians to make a major impact in the English game. He is remembered for his time spent with Liverpool throughout the 1980s...
.
Referee decisions
Wenger has made controversial statements regarding referees when decisions do not go in his team's way. He has often tried to defend his players when involved in controversial incidents on the field by saying that he has not seen the incident; this is an option Wenger says he resorts to when there is no "rational explanation" to defend him, and that he has the player's best interests in mind.In August 2000, he was charged with "alleged threatening behaviour and physical intimidation" towards fourth official Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor (referee)
Paul Taylor is an English football referee, who previously took charge of Premier League matches for just one season, and now officiates in the Football League. He has also officiated for UEFA and FIFA in the past...
after Arsenal's 1-0 defeat at Sunderland on the opening day of the 2000-01
2000-01 in English football
The 2000–01 season was the 121st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Manchester United secured their 3rd Premiership title in succession and their 7th title in just nine seasons...
season. A FA disciplinary commission found Wenger guilty, carrying a 12-week touchline ban and a fine of four weeks' salary. He successfully appealed the ban but was reprimanded and fined £10,000 for his actions.
Following the 2007 Football League Cup Final
2007 Football League Cup Final
The 2007 Carling Cup Final was played on Sunday, 25 February 2007 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. It was contested between Arsenal and Chelsea, making it the first all-London final in the competition's history; the two sides had previously met in Cardiff for the 2002 FA Cup Final. The game...
, he called a linesman
Assistant referee (association football)
In association football, an assistant referee is one of several officials who assist the referee in controlling a match. Two officials, traditionally known as linesmen , stand on the touchlines, while a fourth official assists administrative or other match related tasks as directed by the referee...
a 'liar', leading to an investigation by The Football Association, a fine of £2500 and a warning.
Personal life
Wenger is married to former basketball player Annie Brosterhous, with whom he has one daughter, Léa (born 1997), and currently lives in TotteridgeTotteridge
Totteridge is an area of the London Borough of Barnet in north London, England. It is a mixture of suburban development and open land situated 8.20 miles north north-west of Charing Cross....
, London. Away from managerial duties, he is a football consultant for French television station TF1
TF1
TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
, a position which he has held since 1998. Wenger is also a world brand ambassador
Promotional model
A promotional model is a person hired to drive consumer demand for a product, service, brand, or concept by directly interacting with potential consumers. A promotional model can be female or male, and typically is intended to be attractive in physical appearance. They serve to provide information...
for Nike Football
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
and FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
sponsor Castrol
Castrol
Castrol is a brand of industrial and automotive lubricants which is applied to a large range of oils, greases and similar products for most lubrication applications...
. As part of the latter's arrangement, he has conducted several training camps for international youth teams worldwide, as well as advising and providing input to the Castrol Performance Index
Castrol Performance Index
The Castrol Performance Index is a ranking system created by Castrol for men's club association football as part of a sponsorship package with FIFA. The system uses mathematical formulas which evaluate various player performance in terms of how individual actions either assist or prevent goals...
, FIFA's official ratings system, used for gauging player ratings at official FIFA tournaments ever since the system's inception.
Wenger has also authored a book on football management exclusively for the Japanese market, , published by Japan Broadcast Publishing (a subsidiary of NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
) in September 1997, in which he highlights his managerial philosophy, ideals and values, as well as his thoughts on Japanese football and the game as a whole.
In 2007, Wenger had an asteroid, 33179 Arsènewenger
33179 Arsenewenger
33179 Arsènewenger is a main belt asteroid with an orbital period of 1544.2942189 days . The asteroid was discovered on March 29, 1998 by Ian P. Griffin, who is a fan of Arsenal Football Club. The asteroid was named after the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, and is believed to be the only asteroid...
, named after him by the astronomer Ian P. Griffin
Ian P. Griffin
Dr. Ian P. Griffin is the British CEO of Science Oxford, in Oxford, UK. He is the former head of public outreach at NASA's Space Telescope Science Institute...
, who states Arsenal as his favourite football club.
Player
|-|1978–79
|rowspan="3"|Strasbourg
RC Strasbourg
Racing Club de Strasbourg is a French association football club founded in 1906 and professional since 1933, based in the city of Strasbourg, in Alsace...
|rowspan="3"|Division 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
|2||0|| || || || ||1||0|| ||
|-
|1979–80
|1||0|| || || || ||colspan="2"|–|| ||
|-
|1980–81
|8||0|| || || || ||colspan="2"|–|| ||
11||0|| || || || ||1||0|| ||
11||0|| || || || ||1||0|| ||
Manager
.| eam | rom | o | Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | DAt the time of Wenger’s tenure in Japan, the result of a J-League match could not be a draw. In the event of scores being level at the end of 90 minutes, matches would be decided by extra time and penalties. | L | Win % | |||||
| Nancy-Lorraine AS Nancy Association Sportive Nancy-Lorraine is a French association football club based in Nancy. The club was founded in 1967 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Nancy plays its home matches at the Stade Marcel Picot in Tomblaine, a commune located in the Arrondissement of... |
1984 | 1987 |
|||||||
| Monaco AS Monaco FC Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille... |
1987 | 1995 |
|||||||
| Nagoya Grampus Eight Nagoya Grampus are a Japanese association football club that play in the J. League. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and originally founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp... |
1995 | 1996 |
|||||||
| Arsenal Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
30 September 1996 | Present |
|||||||
| Total |
|||||||||
Note
Monaco
Winner:- Ligue 1Ligue 1Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
(1): 1987–88 - Coupe de FranceCoupe de FranceThe Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...
(1): 1990–91
Runner-up:
- UEFA Cup Winners' CupUEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
(1): 1991–92 - Ligue 1 (3): 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93
Nagoya Grampus
Winner:- Emperor's CupEmperor's Cup, commonly known as or , is a Japanese association football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football tournament in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J. League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, Japan Soccer League...
(1): 1995 - J-League Super CupJapanese Super CupThe Japanese Super Cup or is an annual one-match football competition in Japan organised by J. League and the Japan Football Association . This competition serves as the season opener and is played between the J. League Champions and the Emperor's Cup Winners of the previous season...
(1): 1996
Arsenal
Winner:- FA Premier League (3): 1997–98, 2001–02, 2003–04
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
(4): 1997–981998 FA Cup FinalThe 1998 FA Cup Final was contested by Arsenal and Newcastle United at Wembley. Arsenal won 2–0, with goals by Marc Overmars and Nicolas Anelka to complete their second league and cup double....
, 2001–022002 FA Cup FinalThe 2002 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 2001–02 FA Cup competition. It was an all-London affair between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium on 4 May 2002...
, 2002–03, 2004–05 - FA Community ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
(4): 19981998 FA Charity ShieldThe 1998 FA Charity Shield was the 76th FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions. The match was played contested by Arsenal, who won the league and cup Double the previous season, and Manchester United,...
, 19991999 FA Charity ShieldThe 1999 FA Charity Shield was a football match held on 1 August 1999 at Wembley Stadium. The teams involved were Manchester United, who had won the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League the previous season, and Arsenal, who had finished as runners-up to United in the league. Arsenal won...
, 20022002 FA Community ShieldThe 2002 FA Community Shield was a football match played on 11 August 2002 between 2001-02 Double winners Arsenal and 2001-02 Premier League runners-up Liverpool. Arsenal won the game 1–0 in normal time. Gilberto Silva scored the only goal of the game in the 69th minute...
, 20042004 FA Community ShieldThe 2004 FA Community Shield was the 82nd FA Community Shield, a football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions...
Runner-up:
- Premier League (5): 1998-99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
(1): 2000–01 - Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
(2): 2006–072007 Football League Cup FinalThe 2007 Carling Cup Final was played on Sunday, 25 February 2007 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. It was contested between Arsenal and Chelsea, making it the first all-London final in the competition's history; the two sides had previously met in Cardiff for the 2002 FA Cup Final. The game...
, 2010–112011 Football League Cup FinalThe 2011 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 2010–11 Football League Cup, the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and the Football League. The match was contested by Arsenal and Birmingham City, at Wembley Stadium in... - FA Community ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
(2): 20052003 FA Community ShieldThe 2003 FA Community Shield was the 81st FA Community Shield, a football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions...
, 20052005 FA Community ShieldThe 2005 FA Community Shield was a football match held at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on 7 August 2005. It contested by Arsenal, who were FA Cup winners in 2005, and Chelsea, who won the 2004–05 Premier League. Chelsea won the match 2–1.... - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
(1): 2005–062006 UEFA Champions League FinalThe 2006 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Barcelona of Spain and Arsenal of England at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, France, on Wednesday, 17... - UEFA Cup (1): 1999–20002000 UEFA Cup FinalThe 2000 UEFA Cup Final was a football match contested between Galatasaray of Turkey and Arsenal of England on 17 May 2000 at Parken in Copenhagen...
Individual
- French Manager of the Year: 2008
- J. League Manager of the YearJ. League Manager of the YearJ. League Manager of the Year is an annual award given to one manager by the J. League based on their performance during the season. The award does not necessarily go to the manager of the champions, although for the last seven years that has been the case....
: 1995 - Officer of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
: 2003 - Onze d'Or Coach of The Year (4): 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004
- FA Premier League Manager of the Year (3): 1998, 2002, 2004
- LMA Manager of the YearLMA Manager of the YearThe League Managers Association Awards is an annual award ceremony in English football, awarded by the League Managers Association. The most prestigious award is the LMA Manager of the Year Award It is presented to a manager from any division for his achievements in the prior season...
(2): 2001–02, 2003–04 - BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach AwardBBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach AwardThe BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award is an award given annually as part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony each December. The award is given to the coach who was considered to have made the most substantative contribution to British sport in that year. The award is...
(2): 2002, 2004 - Freedom of IslingtonIslingtonIslington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
: 2004 - FWA Tribute AwardFWA Tribute AwardThe Football Writers' Association Tribute Award is given to an individual who has contributed the most to football and/or played the best football over the previous season....
: 2005 - English Football Hall of FameEnglish Football Hall of FameThe English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum, currently being relocated to Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and managers who have become...
: 2006 - Premier League Manager of the Month (11): [March 1998, April 1998, October 2000, April 2002, September 2002, August 2003, February 2004, August 2004, September 2007, December 2007, February 2011]
- World Coach of the Decade 2001–2010
Further reading
- (28 September 2003) Guru of the Gunners, The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
. Retrieved on 12 November, 2011. - Roche, Marc; Telo, Laurent (4 September 2011) Arsène Wenger, l'original d'Arsenal, Le MondeLe MondeLe Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
. Retrieved on 4 November, 2011. - Anthony, Andrew (4 September 2011). Arsène Wenger: the blinkered visionary, The Observer. Retrieved on 4 November, 2011.
External links
- Arsène Wenger profile at Arsenal.com
- Arsène Wenger profile at BBC Sport
- Arsène Wenger at Yahoo! EurosportEurosportEurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events...
- Collected news and commentary at guardian.co.ukGuardian.co.ukguardian.co.uk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. Georgina Henry is the editor...