Arsène Wenger

• 1. Introduction

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  Arsène Wenger was born on the 22nd of October 1949 in Strasbourg, in the Alsace region of France, the youngest of three children. His father Alphonse had been conscripted by force into the German Army, sent to fight on the Eastern Front at the age of 24, a detail that speaks to the fractured history of Alsace that shaped the family long before Arsène ever kicked a ball. The Wengers ran an automobile parts business and a bistro called La Croix d'Or in the village of Duttlenheim. It was the bistro, Wenger later wrote, where the "alcohol, brawling and violence" of the patrons first sparked his interest in human psychology.

  That curiosity about people would turn out to be the defining thread of one of football's most remarkable careers. Wenger would go on to manage Arsenal from 1996 to 2018, becoming both the longest-serving manager in the club's history and the longest-serving manager in the history of the Premier League. He led the club to an unbeaten league season in 2004, an achievement not matched in English football for over a century. He won the FA Cup seven times, more than any manager in the history of the competition.

  How did a boy from a small Alsatian village, who spoke Low Alemannic German before he spoke French, and who once seemed destined to run a spare parts business, come to reshape English football from the inside out? That is what this documentary sets out to answer.

• 2. Roots and Village Football

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  Duttlenheim sits about ten miles south-west of Strasbourg, and by Wenger's own description, it functioned like a kibbutz, a place where the whole community looked after its children. His father Alphonse managed the local village football team, and according to him, Arsène was introduced to the game "at about the age of six." The boy was taken to matches across the border in Germany, where he developed an affection for Borussia Monchengladbach. Religion was woven into village life; Wenger and his friends sometimes had to seek permission from the Catholic priest to miss vespers in order to play football.

  Because Duttlenheim was small, fielding a full team of eleven players of equal ages was genuinely difficult. Wenger did not play for FC Duttlenheim until he was twelve. Marcel Brandner, the club's president, noted that Wenger lacked pace, but that he made up for it with what a teammate called his "ability to guard the ball, seeming to have a complete vision of the pitch and having an influence among his team-mates." As a young teenager he was nicknamed Petit, small; the name fell away once he had a growth spurt and broke into the first team at sixteen.

  The team had no tactical coach, only someone to supervise training. Wenger stepped into the void. His teammate Claude observed: "Arsène wasn't the captain and yet he was. It was 'You do this, you do that.' He was the leader." That instinct to organize, to read and direct others, would follow him out of Duttlenheim and into every dressing room he entered.

• 3. The Education of a Manager

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  By 1969, Wenger had been recruited to Mutzig, a third-division club famed locally for playing the "best amateur football" in Alsace. The club was managed by Max Hild, who would become one of Wenger's most important mentors. It was already considered too late for Wenger to build a serious playing career, and his family's expectation was that he would take over the spare parts business. He used the time differently, reading the French football magazine France Football and travelling with Hild to Germany to watch Bundesliga matches and study managerial styles.

  In 1971, Wenger enrolled at the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Strasbourg to study politics and economics, following a brief spell in medicine. In 1973 he joined semi-professional club Mulhouse, balancing football with his degree. It was at Mulhouse that manager Paul Frantz shaped Wenger's beliefs about nutrition, isometrics, and building on a player's strengths rather than correcting weaknesses. Wenger completed his economics degree a year after joining, and was later selected to represent the French students national team, travelling to Nigeria, Lebanon, and Uruguay for the World Students Championship in 1976. He did not play, having been injured; team captain Jean-Luc Arribart recalled that by the end of the trip, Wenger "had almost taken on the role of assistant coach and team joker rolled into one."

  After several more years moving through amateur and semi-professional clubs, including a spell at ASPV Strasbourg under Hild again, Wenger joined RC Strasbourg in 1978. Hild and Frantz both recommended him to manager Gilbert Gress. Wenger made his first-team debut against MSV Duisburg in the UEFA Cup in November 1978, a match Strasbourg lost 4-0. He made his final appearance for the senior side in 1979. Then, during the summers of his winding-down playing years, he enrolled in a three-week English language course at the University of Cambridge, and studied for his coaching badge in Strasbourg, with an intensive programme in Vichy. In 1981, he received his manager's diploma in Paris.

• 4. Nancy, Monaco, and the French Years

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  Wenger moved to Ligue 2 club Cannes in 1983 as assistant to Jean-Marc Guillou, earning a steady wage of £300 per week. General manager Richard Conte, when asked what the young coach did in his spare time, replied: "Videos, videos, videos. He was always watching videos of his opponents, of his own team. It didn't matter what time of night." Cannes reached the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France but failed to win promotion.

  In 1984, Wenger accepted Aldo Platini's offer to become manager of Nancy in Ligue 1. The squad was below standard and the budget thin. In his first season, he hired a dietician, moved the summer training camp to the high-altitude resort of Val Thorens, and converted players into unfamiliar positions: striker Eric Bertrand became a fullback, and Eric Di Meco switched from left winger to wing back. Wenger guided the club to a 12th-place finish in that first season, though Nancy were eventually relegated during his final year in charge. Despite the failure, Monaco came calling. Nancy chairman Gerard Rousselot initially refused to release him, but once relegation was confirmed, Wenger left by mutual consent and was confirmed as Monaco manager in 1987.

  Before arriving at Monaco, Wenger had already identified his targets. He signed Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Glenn Hoddle on a free transfer, acquired Patrick Battiston from Bordeaux, and brought striker Mark Hateley from Milan. Monaco won the French league title in Wenger's debut season, finishing six points ahead of runners-up Bordeaux. On the recommendation of Claude Le Roy, Wenger signed Liberian striker George Weah, who would later become the first African to be named FIFA World Player of the Year. When Weah received that award, he spontaneously invited Wenger onto the stage and gave his medal to the manager as a token of appreciation. Monaco won the Coupe de France in 1991, beating Marseille through a last-minute goal from substitute Gerald Passi. The club finished second in the 1991-92 season and lost the European Cup Winners' Cup Final 2-0 to Werder Bremen. Monaco reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in April 1994, but lost to eventual winners Milan. Bayern Munich sought Wenger's services, but Monaco refused to release him. A poor start to the 1994-95 season led to his dismissal on the 17th of September 1994, with the team sitting 17th in the table.

• 5. Japan and an Unlikely Detour

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  Shortly after leaving Monaco, Wenger attended a series of FIFA conferences in the United Arab Emirates. He was a member of the governing body's technical committee, tasked with analysing the 1994 World Cup, and delivered a presentation to coaches from emerging football nations. Japanese delegates were paying close attention. Representatives of Toyota, majority owner of Nagoya Grampus Eight, met with Wenger and offered him the manager's role. He deliberated for two months, consulting family and friends, and flew to Japan to watch former Nagoya striker Gary Lineker make his final professional appearance.

  In December 1994, Wenger signed a two-year contract worth 75 million yen annually. Nagoya had finished bottom of the J.League the season before his arrival, and continued poorly into his first campaign, losing matches in a row. In response, Wenger altered his approach, becoming less amenable to his players and openly questioning their desire to win. To break the downward spiral, he took the squad to Versailles for their mid-season break, where they undertook a rigorous but creative training programme. He reportedly shouted at his players: "Don't look at me to ask me what to do with the ball! Decide for yourself! Why don't you think it out?" Midfielder Dragan Stojkovic was among those who responded most noticeably, his disciplinary record improving considerably. Nagoya won 17 of their following 27 games to finish runners-up in 1995, and Wenger collected the J. League Manager of the Year award.

  In January 1996, Nagoya defeated Sanfrecce Hiroshima to win the Emperor's Cup, and two months later beat Yokohama Marinos 2-0 to win the Super Cup. Wenger later credited Japan with improving his temperament and rekindling his passion for the game, likening it to his ancestral home: "It has beautiful things that we have lost in Europe, beautiful things that make life good." He last managed Nagoya on the 28th of August 1996, delivering a farewell speech to supporters in Japanese.

• 6. Remaking Arsenal

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  Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein had been sending Wenger video tapes of matches for years and calling him his "personal pundit." The Arsenal board had rejected Dein's push to appoint Wenger as early as 1995, but concerns over manager Bruce Rioch's replacement opened minds. On the 22nd of September 1996, Wenger was unveiled as Arsenal manager, the first Frenchman to manage in the Premier League. A report in The Independent, dated the 24th of September 1996, captured the reception: "It is a measure of the insularity of the English game that when Arsene Wenger's name emerged as Arsenal's favoured candidate many supporters were asking: 'Arsene who?'"

  Wenger's first changes were not tactical but physical. He promoted pasta as the pre-match meal, encouraged boiled chicken over red meat, offered players optional vitamin injections and creatine to reduce fatigue, and introduced plyometric exercises and regular stretching. He also took on the drinking culture directly, initially allowing a single pint of beer but eventually banning casual drinking altogether. Club captain Tony Adams, on their first meeting, challenged Wenger over interference during a UEFA Cup defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach before he had officially taken charge, telling him he had "put our entire season in jeopardy." Wenger took the criticism on board. English players also pranked him and nicknamed him "Inspector Clouseau" due to his awkward manner. Adams later said Wenger's ability to laugh at himself helped build team spirit.

  By the 1997-98 season, the transformation was visible on the pitch. Arsenal won their first title under Wenger, closing a seemingly insurmountable gap on Manchester United after bookmaker Fred Done had already paid out on United winning the league with two months to play. Marc Overmars scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 win at Old Trafford; nine consecutive victories followed. Wenger then became the first foreign manager to win the Premier League and FA Cup double, with a win over Newcastle United in the 1998 FA Cup Final. Thierry Henry, signed in 1999 from Juventus after seven injury-interrupted months there, for £11.5 million, would soon become the centrepiece of what came next.

• 7. The Invincibles and the Highbury Era

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  Before the 2003-04 season, Wenger had told his players and the media that he believed they could go unbeaten through an entire league campaign. When Arsenal failed to win the title in 2002-03 after building an eight-point lead, midfielder Martin Keown blamed that public statement for raising the pressure too early. Wenger's response was direct: "Look, I said that because I think you can do it. But you must really want it." In 2003-04, they did it. Arsenal went through the entire league season undefeated, the first team to do so in English football since Preston North End 115 years earlier. During the trophy parade, Wenger said: "Somebody threw me a T-shirt which read 'Comical Wenger says we can go the whole season unbeaten.' I was just a season too early!"

  The unbeaten run eventually stretched to 49 consecutive league matches before a 2-0 defeat at Manchester United on the 24th of October 2004. Arsenal lost the 2005-06 Champions League final 2-1 to Barcelona in May 2006, having taken an early lead. That defeat gave Wenger an unwanted distinction: he became the only manager to have been a losing finalist in each of UEFA's three main club competitions, having previously lost the UEFA Cup final with Arsenal in 2000 and the Cup Winners' Cup final with Monaco in 1992.

  The move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium in 2006 reshaped the club's financial priorities for years. Arsenal sold experienced players including Sol Campbell, Lauren, and Robert Pires. They integrated teenagers like Theo Walcott and Alex Song, fielding a League Cup final team in February 2007 that averaged 21 years of age, the youngest ever to play in a major English cup final. A nine-year trophy drought followed, but Wenger's eye for talent never dimmed. His first purchase as Arsenal manager, Nicolas Anelka, cost £500,000 from Paris Saint-Germain and was sold two years later to Real Madrid for £23.5 million, a transaction that pointed to the shrewdness underpinning the lean years.

• 8. Records, Rivalry, and Departure

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  Wenger's rivalry with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson defined the tone of English football for years. It reached a low point in October 2004 with the "Pizzagate" incident at Old Trafford, when, after Manchester United ended Arsenal's 49-game unbeaten run through a late penalty, Cesc Fabregas threw a pizza at United players in the tunnel. Wenger called United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy "a cheat" on television and received a £15,000 fine from the Football Association. Ferguson later wrote in his autobiography that the episode had "scrambled Arsene's brain" and broken off their relationship for nearly five years. By 2009, Wenger noted the rivalry had become "respectful."

  FA Cup success returned in the 2010s. Wenger's seventh FA Cup win, a 2-1 victory over Premier League champions Chelsea on the 27th of May 2017 at Wembley, secured by goals from Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey, made him the most successful manager in the competition's history. Four days later, he signed a contract extension until 2019. His most expensive signing, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for a club-record £56 million in January 2018, could not prevent a difficult season. On the 20th of April 2018, Wenger announced he would step down at the end of the season. His final home match was a 5-0 win against Burnley on the 6th of May 2018, where he received a standing ovation and was gifted a gold mini-replica of the Premier League trophy from the 2003-04 Invincibles season.

  Wenger later revealed that the board had informed him in January of their wish to end his contract at the season's close, though he had wanted to stay until it expired. He described the treatment as "unjustified" and his exit as "very hard" and "very brutal." From November 2019, he took up the role of FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, responsible for overseeing the growth of the sport worldwide. The first player he ever signed in Africa's markets was George Weah, who placed his FIFA World Player of the Year medal in Wenger's hands. The last player he signed at Arsenal was Aubameyang, a Gabonese striker who became the club's record buy. The arc between those two transfers spans the full geography of Wenger's footballing vision.