Arsène Wenger

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Arsène Wenger
Arsene Wenger JHayes (cropped) .jpg
Arsène Wenger, 2012
Personnel
birthday October 22, 1949
place of birth Strasbourg ,  France
size 191 cm
position Defense
Juniors
Years station
1962-1969 FC Duttlenheim
Men's
Years station Games (goals) 1
1969-1973 AS Mutzig 65 0(9)
1973-1975 FC Mulhouse 39 0(7)
1975-1988 Vauban Strasbourg 80 (20)
1978-1981 Racing Strasbourg 11 0(0)
1979-1982 Racing Strasbourg B 78 0(2)
Stations as a trainer
Years station
1980-1983 Racing Strasbourg (youth)
1983-1984 AS Cannes (assistant coach)
1984-1987 AS Nancy
1987-1994 AS Monaco
1994-1996 Nagoya Grampus Eight
1996-2018 Arsenal FC
1 Only league games are given.

Arsène Wenger , OBE (born October 22, 1949 in Strasbourg ) is a French football coach and official as well as a former player. From 1996 to 2018 he was the coach of the English first division club Arsenal , which he led to several championship and cup triumphs and in 2006 to the final of the UEFA Champions League . Wenger is the most successful and longest-serving coach in the history of Arsenal FC.

Since autumn 2019 he has been employed as director for global football promotion at the world association FIFA .

Life

Wenger was born in Alsace and speaks German in the variant of the Alsatian dialect . He only learned French at school. He also speaks fluent English as well as some Italian , Spanish and Japanese .

Player career

Arsène Wenger 1980 as a player at RC Strasbourg

Wenger began as a defender or libero for various smaller clubs in Alsace, while at the same time studying at the University of Strasbourg , where he obtained his economics diploma in 1974. When he switched to Racing Strasbourg in 1978, he also became a professional footballer at the age of 28 . On December 1, 1978 he came to his debut in professional football in the 2-1 victory on the 23rd match day in Division 1 against AS Monaco . Although Strasbourg was the French champion in 1979, Wenger was not very well known outside of the expert circles. He played only three times for the club this season (twice in the league and once in the UEFA Cup ) and made a total of twelve competitive games. In addition to his few appearances in the first team, he played mainly for the second team of Strasbourg from 1979 and began a little later to work as a coach in the youth department.

Coaching career

Career in France and Japan

In 1981 he received his coaching license and was appointed youth coach of RC Strasbourg. His first coach activity in League football was the assistant of Jean-Marc Guillou at AS Cannes (1983-84).

After an unsuccessful time in Nancy , in which the club had to be relegated, Wenger's coaching career got a boost when he became coach of AS Monaco . He was immediately successful with the club, winning the championship in 1988 and the French Cup in 1991 . In 1992 Wenger reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup with the club from the Principality , which AS lost 2-0 to SV Werder Bremen . Wenger was able to sign highly talented players such as Glenn Hoddle and Jürgen Klinsmann . However, after finishing ninth in the league in 1994, he was sacked by Monaco. Wenger, who turned down an offer from FC Bayern Munich out of loyalty to AS Monaco , signed an 18-month contract with the Japanese J. League club Nagoya Grampus Eight , with which he won the Imperial Cup.

Arsenal FC

Arsène Wenger (2009)
Arsène Wenger (2012)
Statue of Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger saying goodbye (2018)

On September 30, 1996, Arsenal FC brought Wenger to replace Bruce Rioch , who was dismissed before the 96/97 season . Wenger was fairly unknown in England (despite being traded as a possible technical director of the Football Association ) but soon led the club to success. In his second year with the Gunners, he won both the Premiership and the FA Cup (the first of two doubles, the second to follow in 2002). Under Wenger, Arsenal won the FA Cup five more times (2003, 2005, 2014, 2015 and 2017) and the 2004 championship without losing a game. This made Arsenal the first team to repeat this performance by Preston North End in the first season of 1888/89. The Preston players had been titled "The Invincibles" at the time; Wenger's team became “The Untouchables” (The Untouchables). Wenger had been ridiculed a year earlier for saying that he "still hopes Arsenal can go through the season unbeaten". Overall, Arsenal won the FA Cup seven times and the Premier League three times under Wenger and has always been one of the best clubs since 1998. However, there was no Champions League success .

Wenger has a reputation for being a shrewd talent scout and promoting the skills of young players. Wenger has signed players like Thierry Henry , Robert Pirès and Patrick Vieira and made them world-class players . According to Peter Hill-Wood , Arsenal's president, Wenger only spent around £ 4 to 5 million net annually on player signings when he was there , which was relatively little compared to spending at other Premier League clubs. A good example of this is the signing of Nicolas Anelka from Paris Saint-Germain , which cost £ 500,000. Two years later he was transferred to Real Madrid for £ 22,300,000 . Furthermore, the defense did not have to accept a goal during the two games in the first knockout round of the Champions League 2005/06 against the "Galactic" of Real Madrid. That defense cost Arsenal less than £ 5m - less than half what Real paid for central defender Jonathan Woodgate .

In addition to new players and tactics, Wenger also changed the training and diet of the players so that they can say goodbye to their drinking and junk food culture. He also influenced the design of Arsenal's new stadium, the Emirates Stadium , and the move to the new training ground in Colney, which is said to have been overseen by Wenger, right down to the shape of the spoons in the player -Restaurant. David Dein, Arsenal's vice president, described Wenger as the most important manager in the club's history, as someone who “works miracles”. Without the increased television and prize money (especially from the Champions League ) that could be booked due to Wenger's successes, it would be unlikely that the new stadium could have been built. Wenger, known as “Professor” or “Boss”, represents the new generation of trained managers and is Arsenal's most successful trainer in terms of titles.

Wenger is extremely popular with Arsenal fans. The fans appreciate his loyalty to and identification with the club; they trust him and believe his long-term vision, even during the less successful phases of his tenure, which is seldom the case with other football clubs. The saying “Arsène knows” is well known among Arsenal fans, and it can often be read on the flags in the Arsenal block. For Highbury's farewell campaign, the fans showed their appreciation for the manager by presenting “Wenger Day” as one of various “Themed Matchdays” (for example, “Matchdays with a theme”) that the club set up on the occasion of the celebration to pull out of their proposed historical venue. Wenger Day was celebrated on Wenger's 56th birthday on October 22, 2005 in a game against Manchester City .

After Rudi Völler's resignation as DFB team boss , the German-speaking Alsatian was also under discussion as a successor. In 2004 he was also discussed as a coach for the French national team . In June 2006, during the election campaign for President of Real Madrid , Juan Miguel Villar Mir promised to guide Wenger to the Galactic as the new trainer if Villar should be elected as the new president. According to his own statements, he and Wenger had already agreed on a four-year contract.

In 2008, Wenger was first named French Coach of the Year by France Football .

On the occasion of his tenth anniversary with Arsenal, the club's vice president David Dein said: “We want him for the rest of his career. If he ever wanted to hang his tracksuit in the closet, it would be invaluable in the boardroom. ”In September 2007 Wenger extended his contract with Arsenal until 2011, in August 2010 again until 2014. In May 2014 the current contract was extended to Extended in 2017. At the end of May 2017, Wenger extended his expiring contract after long uncertainty about his future and speculation that he could be replaced after his weakest season in two decades, but still with Arsenal. A career end had also been discussed for a long time. He had previously announced that he would continue his career regardless of an extension. His new contract should have run until June 2019.

On December 28, 2017, Wenger played his 810th game as coach of a Premiere League team and set Alex Ferguson's record .

On April 20, 2018, Wenger surprisingly announced that he would step down as Arsenal coach at the end of the 2017/18 season after almost 22 years. A few days later, on April 25, 2018, Wenger said, however, that the early departure was "not really his decision". He plans to continue playing football after leaving Arsenal.

Time after Arsenal

In autumn 2019 Wenger held talks with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge about the possible successor to the released Niko Kovač as head coach at Bayern Munich .

Functionary career

After one and a half years without a job in the football sector , Wenger announced in November 2019 that he would be working for FIFA as Director for Global Football Promotion.

Private

Arsène Wenger had a longstanding relationship with Annie Brosterhous. The former basketball player gave birth to a daughter in 1997 - Wenger's only child.

Controversy

On October 10, 2000, he was fined and suspended for twelve games for "threats and physical intimidation" against a member of the umpires during Arsenal's defeat at Sunderland, and the suspension was later lifted on appeal. He is also known for his rivalry with Sir Alex Ferguson , former Manchester United manager . This rivalry culminated in the infamous' Pizzagate 'scandal after Arsenal's 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford , in which both sides threw food at each other in the players' tunnel.

In October and November 2005 Wenger was embroiled in a battle of words with then Chelsea coach José Mourinho . Mourinho accused Wenger of having an unprofessional relationship with Chelsea, he even went so far as to dub Wenger a “voyeur” and was quoted as follows: “He's worried about us, he's always talking about us - it's Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea , Chelsea ”(“ He's worried about us, he keeps talking about us - it's all about Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea ”). Wenger replied that he only answered questions from journalists related to Chelsea, describing Mourinho's attitude as disrespectful. Wenger also thought out loud about complaining to FIFA about it, but ultimately did nothing of the sort.

Wenger has been criticized by several Premier League coaches for fielding few English outfielders, especially in the Champions League. West Ham United manager Alan Pardew stated that Arsenal's Champions League successes are not necessarily successes for British football. Wenger considers player nationality to be irrelevant and replied, "When you represent a club, it's about values ​​and quality, not passports ." Other experts include Sir Trevor Brooking, a West Ham legend and one of the top officials the FA , defended Wenger. Brooking stated that the absence of English players from one of England's most successful clubs should spark a discussion about England's talent rather than Wenger.

Awards

In 2002 he became a Knight of the Legion of Honor . He was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2003 for his services to British football . In 2007 an asteroid was named after him: (33179) Arsènewenger .

title

as a player
as a trainer

Web links

Commons : Arsène Wenger  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Amy Lawrence Q&A on Arsène Wenger (English)
  2. ↑ RCS - Monaco 2-1. In: racingstub.com. Retrieved March 17, 2013 .
  3. ↑ France Football, December 16, 2008, pp. 12-15
  4. ↑ Poldi-Trainer extended at Arsenal. In: picture , May 30, 2014.
  5. ↑ Perfect: Wenger renews at Arsenal On: transfermarkt.de , May 31, 2017.
  6. ↑ Wenger breaks Ferguson record - Mustafi scores in Arsenal's win against Palace. In: transfermarkt.de. Retrieved December 30, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Merci Arsène , arsenal.com, April 20, 2018, accessed April 20, 2018.
  8. ↑ Wenger: Separation "not really my decision". Retrieved April 25, 2018 .
  9. ↑ a b Arsène Wenger goes to Fifa , spiegel.de, accessed on November 13, 2019
  10. ↑ Marcel Nasser: Arsène Wenger - a thinker and leader - Europapokal.de . In: Europapokal.de . March 7, 2017 ( europapokal.de [accessed April 4, 2017]).
  11. ↑ En Bref. In: Le Parisien , July 15, 2002 (French).
  12. ^ The World's Best Coach of the 1st Decade (2001-2010) ( Memento from March 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
personal data
SURNAME Wenger, Arsène
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French football coach and official
DATE OF BIRTH October 22, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH Strasbourg