Classic Desert Island Discs - Arsène Wenger
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Lauren Laverne here. We're taking our Easter break, so until we're back on air, we're showcasing a few programmes from our archive. As usual, the music's been shortened for rights reasons. This week's guest is the former football manager Arsene Wenger. I cast him away in 2020. MUSIC PLAYS
My castaway this week is Arsene Wenger. He's spent his life in professional football, first as a player, then as a manager, known for his extraordinary staying power and equally extraordinary success. Most coaches' tenure lasts a few seasons.
Who is Arsène Wenger and what is his significance in football?
He led Arsenal for 22 years through 1,235 matches, transforming the club and British football in the process. His upbringing on the French border with Germany in the shadow of World War II instilled both his legendary discipline and his passion for sport. Football was a pleasure, an escape and the non-stop topic of conversation at the bistro his parents ran. A thinker as well as a player, by the time he became a professional manager, he'd studied politics and economics and spoke several languages. None of it went to waste at Arsenal. His revolutionary approach to conditioning famously brought ballet and broccoli to the Gunners. He challenged the Premier League's inward-looking culture, recruiting new talent from all over the world.
Moreover, he showed that success and style can coexist on the pitch. He says, I am a facilitator of what is beautiful in man. I define myself as an optimist. I can be described as naive in that sense, but it allows me to believe, and I am often proven right. Arsene Wenger, welcome to Desert Island Discs.
Thank you very much.
We'll start with beauty then. What is beautiful about football?
Beautiful is what is transformed into art. Art is supposed to get you out of your daily world that is quite tough. It's boring sometimes, repetitive, you know, and I think art transports you in a different world. And that's what football can do and sport can do in general.
And that idea of you believing in your dream, in that art behind the football, what does that bring to the experience for you?
Well, for me, it's as well that you want always to improve, you know, because in art, perfection doesn't exist. And basically, sport is to do... With your body, what your brain wants. And that's a specific intelligence that not everybody has. So people who have that quality to express what their brain wants, you need to encourage them to express what they can give. And most of the time, you need somebody who helps you to do that. And I'm the guy. Not only can I help individuals to do that, but I can help a collectivity to do that.
And so many memories for you. You saw Arsenal through 22 years. You won the Premiership three times, a total of 17 trophies. You're the most successful manager in the history of the FA Cup. You won it seven times. But the first time you walked out on the pitch at Wembley was a special moment for you.
It was because when I was a kid in my village we had no television. The first television we had at our home was when I was 14. So to watch a football game we had to go to the school and watch in black and white, bring one pound and we could watch a football game. The football game won per year, can you believe that today? It was the FA Cup final. So I was a little kid, 7, 8 years. or nine years old. Now imagine this little boy walks out at Wembley and leads his team to play an FA Cup final. So it was something exceptional for me and that I never can forget.
You've got a reputation for hard work and extreme focus. How do you relax?
I relax by watching other managers suffer.
LAUGHTER
And think it's your turn, my friend. But know as well by watching football, you know. I love it so much. And it's easier for me when I watch other games to take a distance. Why does this player make this decision? What is the major mistakes they make? And I enjoy it because football, it's always unpredictable. It's not like theatre. You go every night to the theatre. It starts the same and finishes the same. Go every night to a football game, it's always different.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:51
2
Who is Arsène Wenger and what is his significance in football?
0:51–8:15
3
What does Arsène Wenger find beautiful about football?
8:15–13:44
4
What were the challenges Arsène Wenger faced at Arsenal?
13:44–25:20
5
How did Arsène Wenger's upbringing influence his career?
25:20–48:07