Arsene Wenger's 10 most memorable moments at Arsenal

Arsene Wenger best moments Arsenal
Arsene Wenger has experienced some great moments at Arsenal over the last 22 years

It was inevitable but nobody expected it to happen now. Arsene Wenger is a man who always claimed he would see out his contracts.

The writing was on the wall, though, and Wenger decided to leave Arsenal on his own terms rather than suffer the ignominy of getting sacked by the club he served for 22 years.

Nevertheless, all good things must come to an end. Wenger's reign at Arsenal can be divided into two parts - Wenger 1.0 where he came, saw and conquered, and Wenger 2.0 where he sacrificed success for the survival of the club in financially hard times.

But both eras saw some memorable moments and we list ten of the best here.


#10 Reaching the 2006 Champions League final

Wenger UCL 2006
So close, yet so far...

Arsene Wenger had won all the major trophies in England with his exceptional side and only a European trophy was missing from the cabinet. And he came close to giving the Gunners one in 2006.

The loss in the final to Barcelona will always sting. Especially since they were down to 10 men for more than 70 minutes. Especially after taking the lead through a powerful Sol Campbell header. But Barca were always going to score and two goals in the last 14 minutes crushed Gooner hearts worldwide.

However, it is the run to the final that will always be memorable. Why? Because they kept 10 clean sheets on their way to the final.

This included clean sheets in the Round of 16 against Real Madrid, in the quarter-final against Juventus, and in the semi-final against Villarreal. And in some games, their back-four was a makeshift lineup of Kolo Toure, Philippe Senderos, Emmanuel Eboue and Mathieu Flamini!

#9 Knocking out defending champions AC Milan at San Siro

Arsenal 2-0 AC Milan San Siro
Cesc Fabregas scored from range to give Arsenal the lead

Arsenal were written off even before a ball had been kicked in the knockout stages of the 2007/08 Champions League. Wenger's side had been drawn with defending champions AC Milan which had the likes of Paolo Maldini, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, Andrea Pirlo, Pippo Inzaghi and Ballon d'Or winner Kaka.

How could a midfield of Abou Diaby, Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini and Alexander Hleb come out on top against one of Gattuso, Pirlo, and Kaka?

But that's exactly what the Arsenal kids did. The first leg saw them hold Milan 0-0 at the Emirates while the second leg at San Siro saw Arsenal hold on for 84 minutes before they pounced.

A long distance shot from Fabregas crept into the bottom corner to spark wild celebrations on the Arsenal bench before Emmanuel Adebayor sealed their qualification in the 90th minute to dump the defending champions out of the competition.

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#8 Finishing in the Top 4 for 20 years

Arsenal finishes
Arsenal's league finishes show remarkable consistency after Wenger took over in 1996

The first two decades of Arsene Wenger's reign were successful in their own ways. His first 10 years saw him win trophies and set new records, making Arsenal a force to reckon with in England and in Europe.

However, the second decade was all about ensuring Arsenal remained competitive in the face of adverse financial difficulties. In such a climate, qualifying for the Champions League every season was required thanks to the added revenue.

For a club like Arsenal, those precious millions of pounds from playing in Europe were instrumental in building the squad and retaining the young stars they had.

From season to season, Wenger somehow managed to ensure they finished fourth despite every club's efforts and every other pundit's predictions.

That run came to an end when he eventually finished fifth in his 21st season but compare his record to managers of old and one can understand how he made Arsenal the club it is today.

#7 Signing Mesut Ozil

Arsenal sign Mesut Ozil
Arsenal signed Mesut Ozil in 2013

In 2013, the club were at a crossroads. Since 2006 they had been conservative with their finances and Arsene Wenger was tasked with working with youngsters with the club unable to afford stars due to the financial burden of building a new stadium.

However, after years, Arsenal were in good shape financially and were given the green light to "splash some cash". And who did Wenger go for?

Smashing the club's transfer record (which was Andrei Arshavin for £15m), Wenger convinced Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil to sign for the north London club. For £42.4m

It was a shocking deadline day signing and one that had Arsenal fans cheering the club's decision. Ozil shirts sold out quickly and the German midfielder has since become the club's most important player.

It was a coming of age signing for Arsenal during a period when they were never really expected to compete and it heralded a new era where trophies returned to the club with Ozil helping the Gunners win three FA Cups.

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#6 The 1998 Double

Arsene Wenger 1998 double
Arsene Wenger won the league and FA Cup in 1998

When England and the Premier League opened its door to foreigners, a number of players caught the imagination of the fans. But it was still rare to see a foreign manager become successful in England.

Enter Arsene Wenger. When he took over in 1996, many questioned his methods. He had completely changed the culture at the club and players who initially doubted his nous for the job soon found themselves healthier and were even able to extend their careers.

So when the 1997/98 season got underway, Sir Alex Ferguson got his first taste of the rivalry that would soon be one of the main factors that would define his legacy. Wenger and Ferguson's sides were the clear front-runners although the Gunners trailed the Red Devils for most of the season.

However, a run of 10 wins towards the end of the season saw Arsenal pip United to the title by a single point! To top it off, Arsenal also won the FA Cup despite playing three replays (third, fifth, and sixth rounds), beating Kenny Dalglish's Newcastle in the final.

To continue playing and not losing as they did in the league and Cup was a testament to his squad's fitness and Wenger deservedly finished with two trophies - his first double and Arsenal's second in their entire history.

#5 Winning the Premier League title at White Hart Lane

Arsenal WHL
Arsenal celebrate the title at White Hart Lane (that's an inflatable trophy, by the way)

When Arsenal arrived at White Hart Lane late in the 2003/04 season, all they needed was a draw to guarantee that they would lift the Premier League trophy. They had even been warned not to celebrate if they sealed the title due to the feisty nature of the derby.

Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires had given Arsenal a 2-0 lead in the first half but Spurs soon halved the lead in the 62nd minute through Jamie Redknapp. Spurs then celebrated a late equaliser when Robbie Keane scored from the spot in the 94th minute.

Seeing the Spurs celebrate, it was Thiery Henry who brought together the team and started celebrating on the pitch after the full-time whistle. They had won the league and nothing was going to stop them from celebrating.

"We just thought how can you not celebrate winning the league at White Hart Lane?" - Ray Parlour

Spurs have won the league only twice in their entire history. Arsenal have won the league at the Lane twice!

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#4 Winning the 'Beautiful Football Derby' 2-1

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When the draw for the knockout stages of the 2010/11 Champions League was made, there was one fixture everyone looked forward to - Arsenal vs Barcelona. It was a match between two elite coaches who espoused beautiful football above all else.

It was the year Barcelona won the title but during the course of the tournament, they lost just one game - the first leg of the round of 16 at the Emirates.

The visitors took the lead through David Villa and they kept knocking on the door with attack after attack, leaving the fans spellbound rather. But Arsenal soon mustered the courage to attack as well and Robin van Persie's accurate volley in the second half set up the game for a close finish.

As Barcelona poured forward, all it took was one mistake and Arsenal countered with a brilliant through-ball from Cesc Fabregas that found Samir Nasri in acres of space.

And then came the winner from Andrei Arshavin who took his shot first time to curl it around the defenders and Victor Valdes - a brilliant team goal. Almost like a Barcelona goal.

#3 Winning the Premier League title at Old Trafford

Arsenal 2002 OT
Arsenal sealed the title at Old Trafford in 2002

Winning a title on the ground of your derby rivals is clearly one of the greatest feelings - as Arsenal did in 2004. But to win the title at the ground of the most dominant team in England, that is something else.

Arsenal vs Manchester United is a rivalry that defined the Premier League in the late '90s and early 2000s. They were the only two teams that won titles in that period and matches between them were always epic encounters.

However, in 2002, Manchester United were not in the title race. It was Sir Alex Ferguson's worst nightmare. Lose to their greatest rival in recent years or beat Arsenal and allow Liverpool to possibly clinch the title.

Ultimately, it was Sylvain Wiltord who settled the deal with a winner in the second half that effectively handed the title to Arsenal - who made absolutely no qualms about celebrating on the Old Trafford pitch after the game.

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#2 2014 FA Cup win

Arsenal v Hull City - FA Cup Final
Arsene Wenger tastes silverware after nine arduous years

Nine seasons without a trophy, and coming so close to a decade without one, everything was on the line when Arsenal reached the FA Cup final in the 2013/14 season.

With Hull City as their opponents, they had a nightmarish start when they went down 2-0 in just eight minutes. Nails were being hammered into the coffin but a Santi Cazorla free-kick and a Laurent Koscielny goal eventually saw the game go into extra-time.

And that was when the club's player of the season Aaron Ramsey scored the winner in the 109th minute to seal the title for Arsenal. Had the Gunners lost the final, Wenger would have been finished.

Instead, the win saw Wenger rewarded with a new three-year contract.

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Wenger would go on to win it two more times to become the most successful manager ever in the competition, winning it seven times, while Arsenal set a new record too, winning it 13 times.

#1 That Invincible feeling

Arsenal 2003-04
Arsenal's unbeaten team from 2003/04

In 2002, Wenger was ridiculed for saying: "It's not impossible to go through the season unbeaten and I can't see why it's shocking to say that."

Wenger had said this when Arsenal were off to their best ever start in the Premier League but nobody believed a team could go an entire season unbeaten. Of course, the Gunners lost that season and eventually conceded the title.

But come 2003/04 and Wenger's Arsenal eventually did go an entire season unbeaten. Played 38, Won 26, Drawn 12, Lost 0!

The Frenchman was vindicated as the Gunners lay waste to all 19 teams with only Manchester United coming close to upsetting that dream. Their eventual run took them to 49 games undefeated - a new record in England.

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Also read: Twitter reacts after Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger decides to step down

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Edited by Amit Mishra