16 November 2020 FourFourTwohis challenging final years at the club. As a
lad growing up in France, he’d avidly watched
the FA Cup final on television. Wenger’s
record in the competition is something he
will always be immensely proud of.
“I am, because it’s the biggest competition
in the world, and no one has won the trophy
more times than me,” he beams. “No one has
lifted it seven times, and there have been so
many great managers in England.”I nTO THE Un K nOWn
Near the end, barely a week passed
without debate about Wenger’s future. He
prepared for the 2017 FA Cup final knowing
he wasn’t contracted for the following
season, but his intentions were made pretty
clear a month beforehand. “Retirement is
dying,” he told a press conference. After so
many years at the club, he confesses that he
was scared of what his life would be like
without Arsenal.
“Yes, I was,” he says. “Because seven days
a week, every minute of my life was guided
on that – then suddenly, nothing, empty. It’s
an adjustment that can even be dangerous
physically for your health. When you’ve got
such a commitment that I had, then nothing
at all, believe me that’s not easy.”
Three days after Alexis Sanchez and Aaron
Ramsey fired Arsenal to FA Cup final glory at
Wembley, Wenger penned a new two-year
deal. Around mid-April the following season,
though, the Gunners lay sixth in the Premier
League, 14 points off the Champions League
spots. With discontent increasing once more,
it was announced that the manager would
step down at the end of the campaign, after
22 years at the helm.
In his book, there is a notable absence of
detail regarding how that decision came to
be made, and what discussions took placeinside the club prior to the announcement.
“I prefer to be private about that, because it
would not be too nice for the club,” he says,
when asked by FFT.
He writes, however, of some hostility from
“a section of the fans and the board”, adding
that “if it had been up to me, I would have
stayed until my contract expired”. Reports at
the time suggested that the club might have
encouraged him to walk away. Was that how
it happened?
“Not exactly, no,” he says. “But you know,
I want to keep what was good. I will love thisclub until the last day of my life. Every time
I see a red and white shirt, I will support it.”
Wenger’s farewell tour would last for seven
games. Nine days after the announcement,
he took his Arsenal team to Old Trafford for
the last time. There, he was met pre-match
by Sir Alex Ferguson, who presented him with
a gift. It was a touching finale to one of the
Premier League’s great rivalries – in his book,
Wenger reveals that 14 years earlier, the pair
had engaged in a shoving match at the same
stadium, after Manchester United brought
Arsenal’s 49-game unbeaten run to an end.“WHEn ARSEn E KISSED SAGn A, IT WAS PERFECT”
Lifelong Gunners fan Andrew Mangan, the man behind Arseblog, lists his top three Wenger moments1
IN THE OLD TRAFFORD CROWD
“Wenger’s arrival in England clearly threatened
Sir Alex Ferguson. At the peak of their powers, two
brilliant managers tried to outdo each other season
after season, creating the most intense rivalry I can
recall as an Arsenal supporter. Those matches were
always stomach-churningly intense, but Arsene held
his own against Fergie. When he was sent off at Old
Trafford in 2009, he stood among the United fans
with his arms outstretched. An iconic Wenger image.”2
ON STAR MAN BOWIE
“I was a huge David Bowie fan, and Wenger had
an ability to comment on all kinds of things – not just
football. It wasn’t that uncommon for him to be asked
about topics which had nothing to do with the game.
After Bowie died in 2016, he stated, ‘The message he
gave to my generation was very important, because
it was after the Second World War and was basically,
“Be strong enough to be yourself.” That’s a very strong
message, and very important for my generation too’.”3
SAGNA GETS A SMOOCH
“Arsenal won the 2014 FA Cup Final in the most
Arsenal way possible – a nine-year trophy drought
ended by an injury-time win over Hull, after going 2-0
behind. At the final whistle, Bacary Sagna knelt down
and clenched his fists. As he did so, Wenger kissed the
top of his head. It just felt like a perfect moment after
so long without success. Winning that cup seemed to
de-age Arsene, who’d looked as if the weight of the
world was on his shoulders. It was a big relief for him.”Above In his new
FIFA role, Wenger
wants to improve
the pathway for
young players all
around the worldARSEn E
WEn GER