Football: FROM MUTZIG TO HIGHBURY: A BRIEF HISTORY OF ARSeNE WENGER

1949: Born Strasbourg, 22 October.

1969: Began amateur playing career as sweeper/defender with Mutzig, a Third Division club, and had spells with two more amateur clubs - Mulhouse and Vauban - before turning professional.

1978: Brief professional career. Made debut for Strasbourg against Monaco and played only three matches for Strasbourg in their 1978-79 championship- winning season.

1983: Player-coach with Cannes.

1984: Appointed coach of Nancy and got off to a bad start as the club was relegated.

1987: Hired as coach of Monaco and his career took off. Monaco won the league in his first season in charge. During his seven-year reign he twice turned down the job of coaching the French national team because he felt the time was not right for him.

1989: Steered Monaco to French Cup triumph.

1992: Monaco were beaten finalists in the European Cup-Winners' Cup.

1994: Offered a chance to coach Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen but stayed loyal to Monaco. Within weeks he was sacked after Monaco finished ninth in the league.

1995: Took charge at the Japanese club Grampus Eight, on a reported salary of pounds 700,000, and in one season he lifted them out of the bottom three of the J-League to runners-up and won a cup.

1996: Arsenal sack their manager Bruce Rioch five days before the start of the new season and announce that Wenger will replace him on 30 September.