Arsene Wenger has shared the pain of his departure from Arsenal after 22 years as manager, describing the end of his era as 'like a funeral'.
Speaking in a new documentary about two decades in charge at Highbury and the Emirates Stadium, Wenger tells of his personal turmoil as he left the club he still loves.
After three Premier League titles, seven FA Cups, a Champions League final appearance, a team of 'Invincibles' that went a season without defeat, in the end there was a clamour for Wenger to go as the club repeatedly failed to challenge for the Premier League title and he was forced out in May 2018.
'You realise at the end of something, it's like a funeral,' says the 71-year-old speaking against a backdrop of images with supporters protesting against him with flares held aloft.
Arsene Wenger: Invincible, the trailer for which has been released today, promises to be a poignant examination of his managerial life – and death - at Arsenal.
Legendary manager Arsene Wenger has reflected on his life in football for a new documentary
Wenger admits that finally leaving Arsenal felt 'like a funeral' following two decades at the club - here he waves goodbye to their fans at the Emirates Stadium in 2018
His last years at the club were marred by frustrated supporters demanding that he leave his job
Despite his obvious success, and the Gunners' continued qualification for the Champions League until 2017, the atmosphere around the manager turned toxic and 'Wenger Out' became a matchday soundtrack.
Wenger has since insisted he wanted to leave Arsenal fit to face the future and every decision was made in the best interests of the club. He has described his treatment towards the end as 'harsh', 'hard' and 'brutal'.
But in the new film, one of his finest and most successful players, Dennis Bergkamp, says Wenger stayed on too long, giving the Arsenal hierarchy little choice.
'It would have been easier if he would have made a decision,' the former striker, who netted 111 goals in 408 appearances for the club, concludes.
Wenger's last game in charge of Arsenal was a 1-0 win away to Huddersfield Town in 2018
Arsenal failed to mount a serious title challenge after moving to the Emirates in 2006
Both obsessive and visionary about the beautiful game, Wenger admits in the film that his 'addiction' to the sport, and the Premier League in particular, led him to become 'inhuman' at times.
'I had the addiction gene,' Wenger confesses in the documentary, which has been produced by Noah Media Group, the company behind the critically acclaimed Finding Jack Charlton documentary, and will be screened in cinemas and streamed on Amazon Prime Video next month.
And Wenger adds: 'The desire of fighting, not to lose, makes you sometimes inhuman.'
Gunners legend Dennis Bergkamp, speaking on the documentary (left), suggests Wenger should have called it quits sooner than he did; fellow Arsenal giant Patrick Vieira admits that he 'would die' for Wenger on the pitch due to his support for him
Sir Alex Ferguson also talks about his great rivaly with Wenger - likening it to 'war'
The coach's fascination with football and his quest for perfection were both his driving force and fatal flaw.
In scenes from Wenger's childhood in his home village of Duttlenheim, he reflects that some of this stemmed from his upbringing: 'My father, he never told me "well done" he said: "you can do better."'
Wenger famously watched endless footage of matches from around the world after training and attended Arsenal games at all levels, from the academy up, which earned him the nickname 'the Professor' with the club's fans.
However, it put pressure on his marriage and he split from long-time love Annie Brosterhous in 2015.
His relationships with opposition managers – and the media - were strained too. In fact, Wenger's career was annotated with feuds, with Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson a frequent adversary.
Wenger's passion led to many feuds including with Manchester United boss Ferguson
Wenger also clashed with Jose Mourinho, famously pushing him during a defeat to Chelsea. In the documentary the Frenchman admits that the job made him 'inhuman'
Their rivalry came to a head in 2004 when clashes between their players near the Old Trafford dressing rooms resulted in pizza being thrown at the United boss.
'I'm saying to myself: "Is he looking for a war?"' Ferguson reflects on his early skirmishes with Wenger.
