Arsene Wenger has banished any thoughts of retirement as the Arsenal manager fine-tunes his preparations for his 20th season with the Gunners in the Emirates Cup this weekend.
With his 66th birthday looming in October, Wenger could be forgiven for being seduced by the stress-free lifestyle that would await him in his golden years if he turned his back on the pressures of the Premier League rat race.
Even the ferociously competitive Alex Ferguson eventually called it quits after growing tired of the battle to keep Manchester United at the top.
But Wenger, who took charge at Arsenal in 1996, has dedicated his entire existence to his job and the Frenchman says he is terrified at the prospect of walking away from the sport for good.
“Retirement? Yes, it crosses my mind sometimes but for no longer than five seconds because I panic a little bit,” Wenger told the British media this week.
“When we played at Man United, Ferguson came to meet me after the game. I said: ‘Come on, you don’t miss it?’ He says: ‘No.’ He had enough. He goes to every game. But he has horses. I have no horses.
“Enthusiasm? That is not a problem, honestly. I am more committed than ever for that. I just think the number of times you have done it doesn’t count. It is how much you love what you do that counts.
“And the love of what you do is not necessarily diminished by the number of times you’ve done it. Football is new every day. That’s a big quality.”
