Iconic former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has just been handed one honour as France prepare to host the Olympic Games.
Arsene Wenger is a legendary figure in the world of football.
The Frenchman was in charge of Arsenal from September 1996 until the end of the 2017/18 season. In his time at the helm, Wenger won three Premier League titles, seven FA Cups, and led the Gunners to their first, and so far only, Champions League final.
Wenger was also instrumental to the club’s move from Highbury Stadium to the Emirates Stadium in 2006. As Arsenal suffered the financial consequences of this move, he was able to consistently keep the team in the Champions League, despite having a fraction of the transfer budget enjoyed by many of his rivals.
Mikel Arteta is now trying to recreate the kind of successes that the club enjoyed in the earlier years of Wenger’s reign, Meanwhile, Wenger has been immortalised in statue form outside of the Emirates Stadium.
Now, Wenger is seeking reform to the offside rule, having taken up a role within the FIFA organisation. He has also been given a role in the preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Arsenal icon Arsene Wenger carries Olympic Flame
The 74-year-old was recently awarded the privilege of carrying the Olympic Flame in his hometown of Strasbourg, and lighting the local Olympic cauldron, as shown in footage posted on the official Paris 2024 X account.
As is tradition, the Olympic Flame is currently touring the host nation of the Games, before it will arrive in Paris on the day of the opening ceremony in late July.
Over the course of the Flame’s tour, notable figures will be given the opportunity to bear it, as was the case with Wenger.
Arsenal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
Another Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry, will have a major role at this summer’s Games, as he will be taking charge of French football team in the tournament.
Henry wanted Arsenal centre-back William Saliba to feature for his side in the competition, but Arteta has already denied the former striker’s request. As football at the Olympics is not overseen by FIFA or UEFA, clubs have no obligation to release their players to take part.
After the Olympics, Henry may well take on a new challenge as he has been linked with the Scotland job, after Steve Clarke’s side endured a disastrous Euro 2024 campaign.