Prakash Paudel
Last week, Arsène Wenger managed his last game for Arsenal Football Club. He’s been manager of the team for 22 years. I want to write a bit about what it’s been like to follow Arsenal and Monsieur Wenger all these years.
As a young kid growing up in Asia, becoming an Arsenal fan was by chance. I didn’t have any connection to the club. I just watched whatever match was on TV. In 2003, Arsenal was on the way to having the most remarkable season, the Invincible season. They went all 38 games undefeated. The only precedent to this was when Preston North End went undefeated in the inaugural football league in 1889. Yes, that’s right, what Arsenal did hadn’t happened since the 19th century.
Safe to say this made me a religious supporter. I worshiped Arsenal, and the likes of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, who were gods on the field. As for Arsène Wenger, he was more like a prophet.
In his own words:
“Religiously, it is said that God created man. I am only a guide. I allow others to express what they have in them. I have not created anything. I am a facilitator of what is beautiful in man.”
He put his players and the team above everything. If a player made a mistake, he’d never criticize them publicly. He’d rather feign poor vision and claim he didn’t see what happened.
Arsenal went into decline after that incredible Invincible season. We needed a new stadium. Wenger had to sell his best players to generate funds. Without money to buy replacements, he put all his energy into nurturing young talent.
Ultimately, Arsenal could not compete with rivals with deeper pockets and superior players. Every August began with hope and expectation, but by spring there was always frustration and disappointment. We went without winning a trophy for a decade.
Towards the tail end of those years, Wenger faced an incredible amount of pressure to quit. Fans flew planes over the stadium saying #WengerOut. The media asked him about his future every single week. This went on for years.
A man who I idolized as a god became a mortal. His face showed it. There were more wrinkles and his hair was flecked with grey . After the worst defeats, his eyes were bloodshot and his suffering was tangible.
Despite this, Wenger showed complete self-belief. He stood by his players, his tactical choices and was stubborn as ever. He’d never admit defeat.
I’d sometimes miss Arsenal games, but I’d make sure to go back and watch Wenger’s post-match interview. Especially if it was a loss.
The man’s resilience was inspirational beyond football. Anytime I’d face a setback, I’d recall Wenger and re-watch his last interview.
He did catch the occasional break. A run of good form, an upset against a better rival, a trophy. These moments were extra special for me. His face was lit up again, he was cracking jokes and his infamous smirk was back.
With Wenger departing, I have a strong feeling of sadness. For me, Arsenal is Arsène Wenger. I’ve never known an Arsenal without Arsène.
In football, the manager determines the tactics of the team. With Wenger, he determined the identity of the whole club.
It’s the values he brought of respect, fair play and treating football as an art; the stadium he built while maintaining a competitive team; the players whom he molded from promising youth to world beaters.
Countless former players have thanked him for not only making them great players, but great men. I want to thank Mr. Wenger too. He gave me the belief to face challenges in my own life.
Of course, Arsenal will be around, and so will I. But neither of us will be the same without Arsène. It’s time for a new chapter for the club and maybe a new chapter for me. One where my idol isn’t there talking to me from the television week in, week out. I hope I can make him proud.
If you’re interested in reading more about what it’s like to support Arsenal, I highly recommend the book Fever Pitch. To read about the man himself, The Times had a excellent piece (copied here because of paywall) describing his life off the pitch.