ManagerFrance

Arsène Wenger

The manager who reinvented English football, and led the only unbeaten Premier League season.

Role
Manager
Club
FIFA Chief of Global Football Development
Born
22 October 1949
Birthplace
Strasbourg, France
Illustration of Arsène Wenger on the touchline
1,235Arsenal games, a club record
3Premier League titles
7FA Cups, a record for a manager
49league games unbeaten, a record run
22years at Arsenal, 1996–2018
0league defeats in 2003/04, the Invincibles

About Arsène Wenger

Arsène Wenger is Arsenal's longest-serving and most successful manager, in charge for 22 years from 1996 to 2018 across 1,235 games. He won three Premier League titles and a record seven FA Cups, and built the 2003/04 Invincibles, the only side to go a 38-game Premier League season unbeaten, part of a 49-match unbeaten league run. His arrival reshaped the English game: diet, sports science and a patient passing style that turned Arsenal into perennial contenders and helped pay for a new stadium.

Born in Strasbourg in 1949, Wenger managed Nancy and then Monaco, where he won Ligue 1 in 1988, before a spell with Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan. Since 2019 he has been FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, overseeing the men's and women's game worldwide and chairing the Technical Study Group that analyses each World Cup.

Playing style

4-2-3-1

Fluid, technical attacking football, Wengerball: quick passing combinations, movement and flair. He reshaped English football's diet and methods, and peaked with the Invincibles.

  • Passing and movementQuick, intricate combinations through the thirds
  • Attacking flairTechnical, expressive, front-foot football
  • MethodPioneered diet, science and preparation in England

Clubs managed

  • AS Nancy1984–1987
    His first job in senior management.
  • AS Monaco1987–1994
    Ligue 1 in 1988 and the Coupe de France in 1991.
  • Nagoya Grampus Eight1995–1996
    The Emperor's Cup in Japan before England called.
  • Arsenal1996–2018
    The club's most successful manager: the Invincibles and seven FA Cups.

Honours

  • 3
    Premier League1998, 2002 and the 2003/04 Invincibles
  • 7
    FA Cupa record for a manager, from 1998 to 2017
  • 7
    FA Community Shieldwon or shared across his Arsenal years
  • 1
    Ligue 11988, with Monaco

Records

Unbeaten league seasonthe 2003/04 Invincibles, the only 38-game side to do it
Longest unbeaten league run49 games, May 2003 to October 2004
FA Cups by a manager7, a record
Arsenal games managed1,235, the most in club history
FranceSee the national team hub

Frequently asked

Sources

Reference facts (honours, records, clubs managed) are sourced above. Current job and squad details reflect the date this page covers and can change.

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