Legendary Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger achieved plenty in his two decades at the club, but he revealed how one thing ended up becoming his “biggest regret”.
The Gunners enjoyed some of the most successful years under the Frenchman, who joined in 1996 as a relatively unknown coach.
Arsene Wenger quickly made himself known, winning three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup trophies in his stay.
In 22 years at Arsenal, he had plenty of glory, but it faded towards the end as the north London club faded from the top.
While the rebuild under Mikel Arteta is still ongoing, with the Arsenal trophy cabinet still looking for more silverware, there is one competition he could win that his old manager never could.
Arsene Wenger revealed that never winning the Champions League with Arsenal is his “biggest regret”
Arsene Wenger left Arsenal in 2018, ending his 22-year stay with the Gunners, having achieved nearly everything he could’ve dreamed of.
One thing that did end up missing was a European title, despite Arsenal reaching the 2006 Champions League final.
Defeat to Barcelona proved costly, with it being the only shot that Wenger had at winning it so deep into the competition.
It has haunted him ever since, having admitted to FourFourTwo in 2020: “I never cared much about the UEFA Cup or Europa League, but I truly miss not having won the Champions League.”
He continued: “It remains a regret – a big regret, especially when we were so close. We were 30 minutes away.
“My biggest regret is that we had to play with ten men. You go into the final, and you haven’t conceded a goal against Real Madrid with Zidane, Beckham and Ronaldo, or Juventus with Ibrahimovic and Trezeguet.
“Then suddenly, after just ten minutes, you have to play with one man less. It was hard to swallow and it still is today – but it’s part of life.”
Despite all he achieved, Wenger still clearly felt bad about the Champions League triumph that alluded him all those years.
For Arteta, there is an option to usurp his former manager in that regard.
Mikel Arteta can achieve Champions League feat with Arsenal
While Arsenal are a historic club, their European heritage since the creation of the Champions League hasn’t quite been as rich as in other competitions.
The Gunners recently booked themselves into the semi-final of the top European contest for the third time in their history.
It’s the first time in years that the side seems to have a genuine shot at landing that silverware to finally add it to their trophy collection.
For Mikel Arteta, it’s an opportunity to immortalise himself as much more than the man who inspired a rebuild, but took it to the next level.
He can do something that even Wenger, a legendary head coach for the club, didn’t even manage.
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