As we continue to celebrate another anniversary of Arsène Wenger’s arrival at our club, Arsenal have picked out 22 facts that show why the Frenchman became a true North London legend.
During his reign, Le Professeur transformed Arsenal into one of Europe’s most entertaining and consistent sides. Three Premier League titles, seven FA Cups and that legendary 49-game unbeaten run are just the tip of the iceberg.
The numbers speak for themselves:
- Wenger took charge of 1,235 matches — almost two and a half times as many as his nearest rival, Bertie Mee, who managed 540.
- His reign lasted 21 years and seven months. His closest challenger in the modern era, George Allison, spent almost nine fewer years in the Arsenal hot seat.
- His 828 Premier League matches set an all-time competition record, putting him 18 games ahead of Sir Alex Ferguson.
- 716 wins, a win rate of almost 58%, and an average of 1.96 points per game. Under Wenger, Arsenal became a byword for consistency.
- The Gunners scored 2,298 goals, averaging 1.86 per game, with a remarkable goal difference of +1,071.
- More than half (54%) of Arsenal’s seasons with 100 or more goals came during Wenger’s reign.
- Seven FA Cup triumphs — more than any other manager in history. His victory in 2017 broke a record that had stood since the early 20th century.
- 222 players featured under Wenger. Patrick Vieira led the way with 402 appearances.
Most appearances under Wenger
| Rank | Player | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Vieira | 402 |
| 2 | Theo Walcott | 397 |
| 3 | Thierry Henry | 377 |
| 4 | Dennis Bergkamp | 376 |
| 5 | Aaron Ramsey | 329 |
| 6 | Freddie Ljungberg | 328 |
| 7 | Kolo Touré | 326 |
| 8 | Laurent Koscielny | 324 |
| 9 | Ray Parlour | 318 |
| 10 | Cesc Fàbregas | 303 |
- The last player to make his Arsenal debut under Wenger was Konstantinos Mavropanos, in April 2018.
- Players from 53 countries pulled on the Arsenal shirt during his reign. England supplied the most, with 80 players, followed by France with 30.
- Ian Wright scored the first goal of the Wenger era in September 1996, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted the last in May 2018.
- 117 different players found the net under the Frenchman. Leading the way was Thierry Henry, with 228 goals.
Top scorers under Wenger
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thierry Henry | 228 |
| 2 | Robin van Persie | 132 |
| 3 | Theo Walcott | 108 |
| 4 | Olivier Giroud | 105 |
| 5 | Dennis Bergkamp | 102 |
| 6 | Robert Pirès | 84 |
| 7 | Alexis Sánchez | 80 |
| 8 | Freddie Ljungberg | 72 |
| 9 | Emmanuel Adebayor | 62 |
| 10 | Aaron Ramsey | 58 |
- Wenger became the first foreign manager to win the English league title, guiding Arsenal to glory in 1997/98.
- Arsenal conceded just 17 league goals in 1998/99 — the best defensive record in the club’s history.
- In 2001/02, Arsenal became the first side to score in every match of a Premier League season.
- Across those 22 years, the Gunners faced 125 different clubs. Everton suffered the most, losing 32 times — including a 7–0 drubbing in 2005.
- The highest-scoring match of Wenger’s reign was the utterly bonkers 7–5 League Cup win over Reading in 2012.
- 20 consecutive seasons in the Champions League places. Before Wenger, Arsenal had never put together a run of 20 straight campaigns in Europe’s premier club competition.
- 83 academy graduates made their first-team debuts under Arsène, from Paolo Vernazza in 1997 to Ben Sheaf in 2017.
- Gedion Zelalem became the first player born after Wenger’s appointment in 1996 to feature for the first team. Eddie Nketiah became the first player born after September 1996 to score for the senior side.
- 588 days unbeaten away from home in the Premier League, from March 2003 to October 2004 — 27 away games without a single defeat.
- 32 consecutive home league games unbeaten. Between May 2003 and April 2007, Arsenal lost just three of their 72 league matches at home.
Source: Arsenal.com
