Name: Lessons from a life in football with Arsène Wenger
Uploaded: 2024-06-28T12:35:43.944Z
Duration: 833.8

SRI_17 Arsène Wenger-_1.mp4

Back

Or filter by your interest

Browse all our content

SuperReturn

Unlock all the content with only {{price}}

SRI_17 Arsène Wenger-.vtt

English

{{00:00:04}}
Arsene, thank you so much for joining
us here at  SuperReturn International.

{{00:00:08}}
This crowd in particular will be
very interested in your insights

{{00:00:11}}
onto how to build successful teams
and specifically about how to bring

{{00:00:17}}
brilliant individuals together in a team.

{{00:00:19}}
So what would you say are
the fundamentals to that?

{{00:00:23}}
The fundamentals is to make the right
decisions, like in every organization.

{{00:00:29}}
Usually, sporting organizations are
only partially focused on performance.

{{00:00:37}}
I would say, the size of a club
is always the financial potential,

{{00:00:43}}
plus, the The fan base divided
by the number of bad decisions.

{{00:00:53}}
That means you have to reduce
the number of bad decisions and

{{00:00:57}}
transform that into good decisions.

{{00:00:59}}
What is good decision is to, evaluate.

{{00:01:04}}
The potential of the team, then buy
the right players, then make sure

{{00:01:12}}
that they play as a unit, and then
make sure that they are consistent

{{00:01:19}}
and create a culture of performance.

{{00:01:22}}
There's a lot of parallels
there with this industry.

{{00:01:25}}
They're looking for that differentiation,
for the individual talent that will

{{00:01:28}}
slot into a team in the same way.

{{00:01:31}}
Exactly, but, what is very
similar is in any team, you need

{{00:01:37}}
the players to meet their needs.

{{00:01:40}}
In any organization, you need the person
to meet his needs and therefore, I

{{00:01:47}}
would say many times the performances
of individual players depends on the

{{00:01:55}}
quality of the observation of the manager,

{{00:01:59}}
to put them in a position where
they can express their talent.

{{00:02:02}}
I start from a point of view, all
of us have a dominant quality.

{{00:02:08}}
We have not all the
qualities, unfortunately.

{{00:02:11}}
And my job was to put
the person to the test.

{{00:02:17}}
in a position where it can express
its dominant quality and in

{{00:02:21}}
return, give something back to
the collectivity, to the team.

{{00:02:28}}
And that's why I feel it is as
well about winning, of course,

{{00:02:35}}
but it is as well about effort,
about getting the best out of you.

{{00:02:42}}
And very few people in life
go as far as they could go.

{{00:02:47}}
People stagnate very quickly.

{{00:02:51}}
That's why when I speak about
culture of performance, you have

{{00:02:53}}
to give them always a clear picture
of what could your next level be.

{{00:03:00}}
That means, do you want to
get better at what you do?

{{00:03:04}}
Do you think you have
reached youthful potential?

{{00:03:08}}
And, what do you have to do?

{{00:03:12}}
Have you a clear picture of what you
need to do to get to your next level.

{{00:03:16}}
Once you can convince the players
of that, you win the battle.

{{00:03:21}}
Absolutely, like this industry, some
of those players will have had huge

{{00:03:25}}
success in previous clubs, with previous
employers in this industry situation.

{{00:03:32}}
So you have to then tap into what
is the extra they can still give.

{{00:03:37}}
Yes, it is always about self development.

{{00:03:40}}
In life.

{{00:03:42}}
I'm much older now, but still
what motivates me is the idea,

{{00:03:48}}
maybe the illusion that I can be
tonight better than this morning

{{00:03:53}}
and learn something or improve.

{{00:03:55}}
And for every person it's the same.

{{00:03:58}}
I would say self demand is
a part of the, motivation.

{{00:04:03}}
And that is a very interesting,
I believe as well, that the

{{00:04:09}}
sense of belonging is important.

{{00:04:14}}
The sense of belonging by agreeing
with the values of the club.

{{00:04:18}}
But as well, that I always tried to
give them something higher to aspire to.

{{00:04:25}}
It was to get in touch with football
transformed into art, with football

{{00:04:35}}
transformed into something beautiful,
with something that is above us, and

{{00:04:40}}
that is a complex form of, creating
an expression that is more than me.

{{00:04:48}}
It's more than me and you.

{{00:04:50}}
It is a complex form that
starts with three people.

{{00:04:53}}
And so I believe, that gives you as well
the happiness of, collective expression.

{{00:05:03}}
And gives you the taste to come
back and to go even higher.

{{00:05:08}}
How rewarding for you is it when you
see that come to fruition, and how

{{00:05:12}}
do you know when you've got it right?

{{00:05:14}}
When did you know with, say,
your amazing Invincibles team?

{{00:05:18}}
It's a little bit like, music, a concerto.

{{00:05:23}}
You have inside the game, you have moments
where you're absolutely transported

{{00:05:28}}
by, delightness and fulfillment.

{{00:05:33}}
And there are moments the 90 perfect
minutes don't exist because you are

{{00:05:38}}
a human being and every single bad
decision that the player makes can

{{00:05:46}}
destroy the whole harmony of the team.

{{00:05:49}}
Unfortunately, you have to know
as many moments as possible in the

{{00:05:55}}
game and combine that as well with
being efficient and win the game.

{{00:06:01}}
So it is, but I believe you need to aspire
to something bigger than just winning.

{{00:06:09}}
Talking about aspiration and to
something bigger, obviously, we're

{{00:06:12}}
at a private equity conference here.

{{00:06:13}}
That's industry has changed the
football world significantly.

{{00:06:18}}
What's your take on what money has done
in the sport and where it should go next?

{{00:06:25}}
We have gone from a society of work to
a society of sport and I'm long enough

{{00:06:32}}
in the game to know that when I was
a kid you had to be ashamed to say I

{{00:06:37}}
was, I am a football player because
it looked like you have no brain

{{00:06:41}}
and today it's become super popular.

{{00:06:45}}
and the attractiveness of the
game today, the popularity of the

{{00:06:50}}
game, has attracted investors.

{{00:06:53}}
Investors basically come
from two different areas at

{{00:06:57}}
the moment in European game.

{{00:07:00}}
They come from the United States, and
they come from the Arabic countries.

{{00:07:05}}
In the Arabic countries it's more
state investment, in the United States

{{00:07:11}}
it's more international Investment
funds or individual billionaires

{{00:07:16}}
who want to invest in the game.

{{00:07:19}}
For what reasons?

{{00:07:21}}
Maybe the Americans think
sport is underrated in Europe.

{{00:07:27}}
Maybe for the Arabic countries, it's
as well a way to get soft power.

{{00:07:33}}
and appreciated by what they do.

{{00:07:37}}
For example, Qatar got the World Cup.

{{00:07:40}}
Could they have got the World Cup if
they had not invested in the game?

{{00:07:44}}
I'm not sure.

{{00:07:46}}
So there are different

{{00:07:49}}
targets and different reasons
and explanations behind them.

{{00:07:54}}
The investment funds
They want to make money.

{{00:07:57}}
How does that marry with you
wanting to win football games?

{{00:08:02}}
It marries in a way that the
basics of our game remains true.

{{00:08:07}}
It is, money is not enough, but is needed.

{{00:08:12}}
Money and good decisions give you success.

{{00:08:16}}
But as everywhere in the world, only
one team can win the championship.

{{00:08:20}}
And no matter how much money you
invest, even if you imagine that

{{00:08:26}}
everybody invests billions, at the
end of the day you will have only one

{{00:08:30}}
winner and 19 disappointed people.

{{00:08:32}}
And, football is structured today,
for me, football is structured and

{{00:08:39}}
organized in an inflationary structure.

{{00:08:43}}
Thank you.

{{00:08:44}}
That means on, daily management
and yearly management, you cannot

{{00:08:50}}
make money, or very little.

{{00:08:53}}
The highest turnover today in Europe
is Man United and Real Madrid.

{{00:08:59}}
They're about 900 million euros.

{{00:09:02}}
If they make Man United loses money, and,
Real Madrid makes maybe 20 million profit.

{{00:09:11}}
So that means, comparison with
the United States, in the same.

{{00:09:18}}
Where an American club makes a billion
turnover, he makes 400 million profit.

{{00:09:25}}
Football, European football
is not structured to do that.

{{00:09:29}}
Where the peace people can hope
to make money is by, betting

{{00:09:34}}
on the value of the club.

{{00:09:36}}
For example, the Glazers Man United
have bought the club for a billion.

{{00:09:44}}
They will sell it for five or six.

{{00:09:46}}
But if you buy the clubs today
at five or six billion Are you

{{00:09:50}}
sure to resell it at 7 or 8?

{{00:09:53}}
I'm not sure.

{{00:09:55}}
Also, that's obviously the
return for the investor.

{{00:09:58}}
What is the impact?

{{00:09:59}}
At the end of the day, there's
not a product at a football club.

{{00:10:02}}
The end point is a player on a pitch.

{{00:10:05}}
It's a human person, not a product.

{{00:10:09}}
How does it impact the players?

{{00:10:11}}
Because at the end of the day, we see
them playing more and more matches.

{{00:10:14}}
They're expected to,
you perform even better.

{{00:10:18}}
What's the end result for the players?

{{00:10:20}}
As you say, the players are the human
factor that is very important in there.

{{00:10:25}}
But as well, they are part of it as well,
because they want always more money,

{{00:10:30}}
and the clubs try to make more money.

{{00:10:33}}
If you say, it is a vicious circle.

{{00:10:36}}
Because players want more money.

{{00:10:38}}
If tomorrow we had an example of
Mbappé, for example, free of contract,

{{00:10:46}}
who would not want to sign Mbappé?

{{00:10:49}}
Every club in the world would
not want to sign Mbappé.

{{00:10:52}}
Where will he go?

{{00:10:54}}
Somewhere you have to
turn up with the wages.

{{00:10:57}}
What will people say if I want to
sign Mbappé, I look at my turnover.

{{00:11:03}}
For example, a player who
makes over 100 million.

{{00:11:06}}
If you have a turnover of 800
million, it's difficult to

{{00:11:09}}
pay one player 100 million.

{{00:11:11}}
What do I do then?

{{00:11:13}}
I can all consult my sponsors.

{{00:11:16}}
I can go to see Nike, Adidas.

{{00:11:20}}
Can you contribute here?

{{00:11:21}}
Can you raise my sponsorship?

{{00:11:24}}
Or I go on the market, and I borrow money.

{{00:11:28}}
For the future income, for the
future sponsorship that I get from

{{00:11:33}}
television money, for example.

{{00:11:36}}
There's a, an inflationary structure
inside the game that stops you from making

{{00:11:42}}
money because most of the clubs Dedicate
70 80 percent of their turnover to wages.

{{00:11:50}}
How do you see that resolving itself?

{{00:11:52}}
Because at some point,
that can't be sustainable.

{{00:11:57}}
It is first of all if people are
there who are ready to invest money

{{00:12:02}}
and to lose money because they think
the capital of the club will go

{{00:12:05}}
up and have enough money, why not?

{{00:12:08}}
But at some stage, that
will be limited as well.

{{00:12:11}}
They will not accept it eternally.

{{00:12:13}}
And, As well you depend, what is very
difficult to understand, for people

{{00:12:22}}
who are in businesses, that the most
important person in the football club

{{00:12:26}}
is not the CEO, is not the owner,
is the best player in the team.

{{00:12:31}}
If this best player goes, The
life of the club will change.

{{00:12:35}}
If the CEO goes, nothing
will change at the club.

{{00:12:37}}
We'll find another CEO.

{{00:12:39}}
So players still have to be at the heart.

{{00:12:40}}
The

{{00:12:41}}
players are at the heart
and have the power.

{{00:12:45}}
They are the real owners of the club,
with the fans, what we forget, because

{{00:12:51}}
the culture of a club is as well the fans.

{{00:12:54}}
And you cannot separate the ownership of
a football club completely from the fans.

{{00:13:01}}
by being disinterested of the fans.

{{00:13:04}}
And that is something that
people forget sometimes.

{{00:13:07}}
Your speech on stage here is called
Lessons in Life from Football.

{{00:13:12}}
What would you say your
key lesson has been?

{{00:13:14}}
The

{{00:13:16}}
key lesson is that, football for me, is
a fantastic sport where human beings and

{{00:13:27}}
the human factor is the most important.

{{00:13:30}}
At the end of the day,
what I keep in my mind.

{{00:13:35}}
is that the values you generate
through your sport are more

{{00:13:40}}
important than anything else.

{{00:13:43}}
So let's focus on that.

{{00:13:45}}
Awesome, that's a
wonderful note to end on.

{{00:13:46}}
Thank you so much for
sharing your thoughts.

{{00:13:47}}
Fascinating to talk to

{{00:13:49}}
you.

Arsene, thank you so much for joining
us here at  SuperReturn International.

This crowd in particular will be
very interested in your insights

onto how to build successful teams
and specifically about how to bring

brilliant individuals together in a team.

So what would you say are
the fundamentals to that?

The fundamentals is to make the right
decisions, like in every organization.

Usually, sporting organizations are
only partially focused on performance.

I would say, the size of a club
is always the financial potential,

plus, the The fan base divided
by the number of bad decisions.

That means you have to reduce
the number of bad decisions and

The potential of the team, then buy
the right players, then make sure

that they play as a unit, and then
make sure that they are consistent

There's a lot of parallels
there with this industry.

They're looking for that differentiation,
for the individual talent that will

Exactly, but, what is very
similar is in any team, you need

In any organization, you need the person
to meet his needs and therefore, I

would say many times the performances
of individual players depends on the

quality of the observation of the manager,

to put them in a position where
they can express their talent.

I start from a point of view, all
of us have a dominant quality.

We have not all the
qualities, unfortunately.

And my job was to put
the person to the test.

in a position where it can express
its dominant quality and in

return, give something back to
the collectivity, to the team.

And that's why I feel it is as
well about winning, of course,

but it is as well about effort,
about getting the best out of you.

And very few people in life
go as far as they could go.

That's why when I speak about
culture of performance, you have

to give them always a clear picture
of what could your next level be.

That means, do you want to
get better at what you do?

Do you think you have
reached youthful potential?

Have you a clear picture of what you
need to do to get to your next level.

Once you can convince the players
of that, you win the battle.

Absolutely, like this industry, some
of those players will have had huge

success in previous clubs, with previous
employers in this industry situation.

So you have to then tap into what
is the extra they can still give.

Yes, it is always about self development.

I'm much older now, but still
what motivates me is the idea,

maybe the illusion that I can be
tonight better than this morning

I would say self demand is
a part of the, motivation.

And that is a very interesting,
I believe as well, that the

The sense of belonging by agreeing
with the values of the club.

But as well, that I always tried to
give them something higher to aspire to.

It was to get in touch with football
transformed into art, with football

transformed into something beautiful,
with something that is above us, and

that is a complex form of, creating
an expression that is more than me.

It is a complex form that
starts with three people.

And so I believe, that gives you as well
the happiness of, collective expression.

And gives you the taste to come
back and to go even higher.

How rewarding for you is it when you
see that come to fruition, and how

When did you know with, say,
your amazing Invincibles team?

It's a little bit like, music, a concerto.

You have inside the game, you have moments
where you're absolutely transported

And there are moments the 90 perfect
minutes don't exist because you are

a human being and every single bad
decision that the player makes can

Unfortunately, you have to know
as many moments as possible in the

game and combine that as well with
being efficient and win the game.

So it is, but I believe you need to aspire
to something bigger than just winning.

Talking about aspiration and to
something bigger, obviously, we're

That's industry has changed the
football world significantly.

What's your take on what money has done
in the sport and where it should go next?

We have gone from a society of work to
a society of sport and I'm long enough

in the game to know that when I was
a kid you had to be ashamed to say I

was, I am a football player because
it looked like you have no brain

and the attractiveness of the
game today, the popularity of the

Investors basically come
from two different areas at

They come from the United States, and
they come from the Arabic countries.

In the Arabic countries it's more
state investment, in the United States

it's more international Investment
funds or individual billionaires

Maybe the Americans think
sport is underrated in Europe.

Maybe for the Arabic countries, it's
as well a way to get soft power.

Could they have got the World Cup if
they had not invested in the game?

targets and different reasons
and explanations behind them.

The investment funds
They want to make money.

How does that marry with you
wanting to win football games?