Arsène Wenger is a French football manager and former player. Wenger was born on 22 October 1949 in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, to Alphonse and Louise Wenger. He has been the manager of Arsenal since 1996, where he has since become the club’s longest-serving manager and most successful in terms of major titles won. Wenger obtained a manager’s diploma in 1981. Following an unsuccessful period at Nancy which culminated in his dismissal in 1987, Wenger joined AS Monaco; the club won the league championship in 1988. In 1991, Wenger guided Monaco to victory in the Coupe de France, but their failure to regain the league title in later seasons led to his departure from the club by mutual consent in 1994. He briefly coached Japanese J.League side Nagoya Grampus Eight, which won the Emperor’s Cup and the Japanese Super Cup during his stint.
In 1996, Wenger was named manager of Arsenal and two years later the club completed a league and FA Cup double. The club won another league and cup double in 2002 and retained the FA Cup a year later. In 2004, Wenger managed Arsenal to an undefeated league season, a feat last accomplished by Preston North End, 115 years previously. The club made their first appearance in a Champions League final in 2006, though they lost to Barcelona. After a period of nine years without a trophy, which coincided with the club relocating to the Emirates Stadium, Wenger guided Arsenal to further FA Cup success in 2014 and 2015. Alongside George Ramsay, he is the most successful manager in the competition’s history with six titles. His players received 100 red cards between September 1996 and February 2014, though the team has won awards for sporting fair play. At Monaco, Wenger earned a reputation for spotting young talent, and he has remained focused on developing a youth system.