Wenger: "When I see Barcelona, to me it is art"

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger gave an interview to British newspaper The Times. An excerpt:


He starts slowly, picking his way through questions on politics, the arts, globalisation and culture. He is reasoned, well-read and imbued with deep moral seriousness. Then the conversation turns to football and it is as if a switch has flicked in his soul; as if a lightning bolt has surged through his body.

The question raised is: "Is football art?" Wenger's eyes flash as he warms to the theme. "I believe that anything in life, if it is really well done, becomes art," he says. "If you read a great writer, he touches deep inside and helps you to discover something about life. Life is important on a daily basis because you transform it — you try to transform it — into something that is close to art. And football is like that. When I see Barcelona, to me it is art."

But is there sometimes a conflict between aesthetics and success? Are there times when Arsenal have created great art on the pitch but at the expense of results? "I agree with you," Wenger says, "but at the end of the day, I ask you: who is the most successful team in the world? Brazil. What do they play? Good football. Who won everything last year? Barcelona. What do they play? Lovely football. I am not against being pragmatic because to be pragmatic is to make a good pass, not a bad pass. It is as simple as that."

read the full interview report here


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