Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (born 22 October 1949) is a French former football manager and player who has been serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development since 2019. He was the manager of Arsenal from 1996 to 2018, becoming the longest-serving and most successful manager in the club’s history and the longest-serving manager in the history of the Premier League.
Born in Strasbourg and raised in Duttlenheim, Wenger was introduced to football by his father, the manager of the local village team. After a modest playing career as a midfielder, with appearances for clubs including FC Mulhouse and RC Strasbourg, he obtained a manager’s diploma in 1981.