Arsenal: Edu reveals the class and the character of Arsene Wenger

Edu has spoken of how he still comes to London every year to see Arsene Wenger. He reveals the class and the character of the Arsenal manager in how he was treated when he first arrived at Highbury and the mentality that was instilled in the squad.

Football is an increasingly classless sport. As money pervades its corridors, bringing with it a lingering selfishness and sense of entitlement that does not serve the sport well, upstanding traits like loyalty, integrity, and honour only seem diluted by their, ostensibly, polar opposites. This is not a game for the upstanding and the true.

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And that is why Arsene Wenger, for all his faults and his flaws, his warts and his weaknesses, stands out like a straight man surrounded by corrupt men. He is a man of his philosophies and his thinking. He does not waver; he does not contort. He is considerate and thoughtful, caring for his players, protective of his club.

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There has been much proof of this from many players and coaches that have worked under or with him, especially from his early Arsenal years. And now we have another piece of evidence to file under the ‘Character of Wenger’ category. This is former Arsenal midfielder Edu, who spoke to the Daily Mail ahead of England’s international friendly with Brazil, addressing Wenger and how he helped his arrival in North London:

"“I was feeling sad [when I arrived at Arsenal]. I lost my sister a week before I arrived. I was not in a good way. But I found a club and manager that worried about me as a person, rather than as a footballer. Every day Arsene Wenger pulled me into his office. He wanted to check I was OK and check how my family were. He cared so much and it made me feel so good. He let my dad watch training. I come to London once a year and always go to see him.”"

Edu was not a glitzy and glamorous player. He did not come with a high profile; he did not thrust his face into the limelight while he was in North London. He was industrious and unassuming. Rarely was he a regular starter, though he did make more than 100 appearances for the club. Never was he the star of the show.

And yet Wenger cared for him, asked of his family, considered him as a human, not merely a footballing commodity. He treated him with dignity and respect. He honoured his character and his life. He did all this to the extent that, even now, after more than a decade away from the club, Edu still comes to London to specifically see Wenger. That is the measure of the man.

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Wenger may not be the manager he once was. He may not be the manager most want him to be. He may not be popular, he may not be liked, he may not be well thought of. But he is a man of character and class, and in football, that is increasingly rare.