22 of Arsene Wenger's best quotes
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After 22 years at the helm of Arsenal, Arsene Wenger is set to hang up his body length gilet.
The North London club are currently languishing in sixth place, 14 points adrift of rivals Tottenham Hotspur providing a sour finishing note to an illustrious career.
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Hide AdSince moving to Arsenal from Japanese team Nagoya Grampus Eight, the Frenchman has led the club to three Premier League titles, seven FA cups and one Champions League final. From 2003 to 2004 the manager led a team containing the talents of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Viera on a 49 game unbeaten run in the league leaving an indelible impression on the English game.
During his reign, Wenger's pre-match press conferences, post-match interviews have been frequently engrossing whether discussing opponents, incidents or the game itself.
Here are 22 of the legendary manager's most memorable quotes
"A manager is a guide. He takes a group of people and says, 'With you I can make us a success; I can show you the way.'"
On the FA's supposed preferential treatment of Man United: "It’s wrong the league programme is extended so United can rest up and win everything."
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Hide AdOn being a bad loser: "I cannot classify the moments of happiness and of sadness, but every defeat is a scar in your heart that you never forget."
"Football is an art, like dancing is an art - but only when it's well done does it become an art."
On David Seaman: "I've told him to cut off his ponytail. I think it makes him less aerodynamic."
On playing an XI of non-English players: "I don't look at the passport of people, I look at their quality and their attitude."
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Hide AdOn English footballers: "English players are as easy to coach. The problem is that the Premier League has the best players in the world, and statistically not all of them can be born in England. But we don't have enough English players: we are working very hard on it."
On his recruitment policy: "We do not buy superstars. We make them."
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"When you give success to stupid people, it makes them more stupid sometimes and not more intelligent."
On 2004 signing Jose Antonio Reyes: "We didn't think he would play on Sunday because he was suspended - that makes me think he has all the qualities to join Arsenal!"
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Hide AdOn rival Sir Alex Ferguson in the aftermath of Pizzagate: "Ferguson does what he wants and you [the press] are all down at his feet. He doesn't interest me and doesn't matter to me at all. I will never answer to any provocation from him any more,"
On new kid on the block, Jose Mourinho: "He's out of order, disconnected with reality and disrespectful. When you give success to stupid people, it makes them more stupid sometimes and not more intelligent."
"I think in England you eat too much sugar and meat and not enough vegetables."
On Arsenal's North London rivals: "I tried to watch the Tottenham match on television in my hotel yesterday, but I fell asleep."
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Hide AdOn Lionel Messi after the Barcelona striker scored four during a 2010 Champions League fixture: "He made the impossible, possible."
On his tendency to say he "didn't see" an incident: "Sometimes I see it (a foul by an Arsenal player), but I say that I didn't see it to protect the players and because I could not find any rational explanation for what they did."
"When you're dealing with someone who only has a pair of underpants on, if you take his underpants off, he has nothing left - he's naked. You're better off trying to find him a pair of trousers to complement him rather than change him."
"A football team is a like a beautiful woman, when you do not tell her, she forgets she is beautiful."
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Hide AdOn being coy in the transfer market: "I am not scared to spend money. If you go out with me one night, you will understand that."
On Tottenham closing the gap: "Have Tottenham closed the gap on Arsenal? Last time I checked they were still 4 miles and 11 titles away."
"If you do not believe you can do it then you have no chance at all."
On leaving Arsenal: "To all the Arsenal lovers take care of the values of the club. My love and support for ever."