Arsene Wenger on His Arsenal Legacy, How Football Has Changed and the Key to Becoming a Winner

As part of Esquire Townhouse 2020 with Breitling, legendary Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger sat down for an intimate chat with broadcaster Mark Chapman, at the Standard Hotel in London, about the highs, lows and lessons he learned from his time at the top of the professional game.
The 70-year-old went into detail on his humble childhood in the French village of Duttlenheim, where his lifelong passion for football was forged. He opened up about the hardest moments of his managerial career, and gave us the skinny on how he transformed his Arsenal team into Invincibles. Being Arsène Wenger, he also managed to sneak in a few gut-punchingly profound insights on the meaning of life. Naturally.

[@dylanf5331]

Miss this man at the Arsenal. He was the last standing part of an era in football that doesn’t exist anymore.

[@hmq9052]

Actually he was the start of the foreign invasion

[@Franklin-q3l]

​@@hmq9052wtf

[@piotrkusmirowski4922]

Class , respect, Legend i can listen to him for hours #AFC

[@mrspare4460]

Watching this made me actually well up with emotion after just a few minutes. Wenger has always been an inspirational human being for me, and seeing him looking like he's been on holiday, gotten a tan and been able to relax and enjoy his life, mixed with the feelings of missing seeing him week in and week out...and the fact that we all inevitably have to grow old, move on, lose the people who we are inspired by or love.. Man....it's too much. Give the man a statue outside the Emirates already.

[@anitsh]

We need a statute of him. Happy to see him happy, living life but just feel sorry he’s not a part of this new era. So I also hope he will be able to become a part of the club in anyways. He just lives for Arsenal.

[@josiahjames429]

True he a legend love the guy he like a father figure for all arsenal fans

[@abdullahabdilaahi3872]

@@josiahjames429 I love ❤️ the man as well.

[@matthewdoyle3877]

@@anitsh Now he is gone easier to say that, when he was there his last few seasons were a disaster and fans made it worse

[@davidbutterworth9578]

Yes, an inspirational man and a brilliant manger. Wanted football played in the right way, as did Ferguson, and knew how to treat players.

[@anitsh]

I can just spend anytime listening to Arsene. Visionary, Humble, Leader, Legend! #COYG

[@benjaminzhang2668]

Great respect for the interviewer! Very respectful to Wenger and asked very relevant questions!

[@a.mazneva2010]

From a Chels fan, What a master gaffer Mr. Wenger is, Respect!

[@youngwolf6896]

Could listen to this visionary artist for hours. He has a wonderful mind for football.

[@rabmccudden683]

Class act of a manager & human being.

[@michaelfletcher8666]

So nice hearing Arsene speak on football; book was very nice too to hear him talk about his journey in his own voice was nice too.

[@mohammedbendriss3105]

Ø

[@EIRW1Z]

Absolute Legend! The game they were talking about at 12:05 Blackburn v Arsenal, at Ewood Park, on the 12th October 1996 (my 13th birthday), was my 1st Arsenal game seen live. We won 2-0 with Ian Wright scoring both goals! I was sat with my Dad and brother, head to toe in Arsenal gear, in the Blackburn family stand. But, the Blackburn fans were very welcoming and friendly. It was a great day out!

[@AW-kr9fl]

That was my first ever game too

[@nofool9621]

If the title of the video say this guy is the chief designer at Versace or Louis Vuitton, many would believe it. He has that quirkiness and sophistication and class about him that I have not seen not from any other manager. He is Arsene of Arsenal.

[@frannylicuous5650]

a truly remarkable man. True goobers will always love Le Prof!

[@southwest3369]

Arsenal have never been the same with out him, shame on the fans for pushing him out the door.

[@danw1374]

Not an arsenal fan but i always believed it was their owners who were the problem, not arsene. The man revolutionised the game.

[@manusiaganteng2753]

Wenger started believing he owned the club and rightly pushed out.

[@g33zer]

"fans"

[@abir95571]

"for me England is the country of the heart , passion for sports , passion for music , passion for big emotions , passion for colonization"

[@antoniobosque7352]

The Legend of Arsène Wenger as Arsenal manager: -3 PREMIER LEAGUES 1997/´98 DOUBLE (Premier League/F.A Cup) 2001/´02 DOUBLE (Premier League/F.A Cup) Winning the title at Manchester United's Old Trafford 2003/´04 INVINCIBLE (Golden PL Trophy ) Winning the title at Tottenham´s White Hard Lane *26W 12D & 0L -7 F.A CUPS 2-0 v Newcastle (19997/´98) 2-0 v Chelsea (2001/´02) 1-0 v Southampton (2002/´03) 0-0(5-4p.) v Manchester United (2004/´05) 3-2 v Hull City (2013/´14) 4-0 v Aston Villa (2014/´15) 2-1 v Chelsea (2016/´17) -7 COMMUNITY SHIELDS 3-0 v Manchester United (1998) 2-1 v Manchester United (1999) 1-0 v Liverpool (2002) 3-1 v Manchester United (2004) 3-0 v Manchester City (20014) 1-0 v Chelsea (2015) 1-1(4-1p.) v Chelsea (2017) *Finalist of the Copa Uefa/Europa League 1999/´00 (0-0 (4-5p.) v Galatasaray) *Finalist of the Champions League 2005/´06 (1-2 v Barcelona) Merci Arsène Thank You Arsène Gracias Arsène "You are the reason I became an Arsenal Fan"

[@AA-kr4jl]

Mr. Arsene, I miss you so much❤️.

[@Bataconda]

So much respect for this Man ❤️

[@farisssalam3300]

💛💛💛💛💛 His contribution in football is immense

[@anilaniskurup6812]

Great interaction with Arsene Wengar. The man and Boss of the Invincibles. That act may not be repeated again in the English Premier league

[@kevinthompson4127]

Legend of a man

[@NotSoNarrowCast]

I love that they reference how Arsene always seemed to miss seeing the key things like that, particularly calls that went for Arsenal

[@al-amin-anan]

I can listen him talk, all day long, any day, everyday.

[@benjaminzhang2668]

Biggest lesson from Arsene Wenger in this interview: 1:25 "I look back to analyse what I did right or wrong. But I don't look back at a longer distance, you know. When I make a mistake I always try to analyse. But at my global life, I don't like to look back. It is what it is and you cannot change it anymore."

[@MZEPRO]

Life can be BIGGER than you DREAM...Prof. Arsene Wenger

[@emmettrussell8817]

Great book not going to lie 😁

[@mrpotato442]

It did go stale for his last 3 years in Arsenal but what he accomplished in previous years still make him one of the most iconic and legendary managers in premier league history.

[@MuhammadNaveed-jl6dv]

A legend

[@ashg3250]

Thanks great interview

[@pfx2259]

I’d love to read Wenger’s autobiographical playbook one day.

[@J88HNT]

MISS YOU BOSS!

[@naxar4246]

Brilliant.

[@jayshubfooty7144]

Legend

[@sulaymandesai8146]

Wonderful, wonderful interview

[@cyrilthesquirrel1546]

Top interview. Chappers is a properly good interviewer. Not like some of the utter dogs weapons that have 'interviewed' Arsene.

[@blackanaconda5327]

sir alex more respect wenger then arsenal fans

[@Noland2]

LEDGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@goncaloantunes8181]

Legacy?!!!!!!!

[@jackmonger7004]

The tough hook intermittently spell because bestseller gratifyingly communicate throughout a stale icicle. recondite, delicious brochure

[@MrDogcatboyman]

That dude's socks are annoying

[@testcch6629]

Wenger is a legend and i will be forever grateful for what he did for the club but let's have it right him and his mate Gazidis left the club in a terrible state and we are still suffering from it today! FYI his book is crap and an utter snoozefest nothing revealing, insightful or interesting in it.

[@abdullahabdilaahi3872]

Lol.

[@MuhammadNaveed-jl6dv]

Make up your mind. Either you love him or hate him. You can't have your cake and eat it. To me he was the greatest arsenal manager ever, an absolute legend and arsenal owe gratitude to him for ever. His hands were tied for 5, 6 years during club stadium building, it would have been best for him to leave and have glory in other clubs, rather then taking a hit to his reputation. He himself admitted that, and he is right as we are accusing the man of distroying the club

[@AliSubhi-xs4rn]

I think Arsenal have been a sinking ship way before Wenger was done. It would've probably just fallen out had he decided to leave the club post the champions league final.

[@matthewdoyle3877]

@@MuhammadNaveed-jl6dv Thats the ARSENAL fan base to a tee flippy-floppies

[@testcch6629]

@aTv7N7PWF8 LEYQaobEfE i did it was dry!