12 days of sporting Christmas: Arsene Wenger's 22-year reign at Arsenal ends

Arsene Wenger’s 22-year spell as Arsenal boss finally came to an end in May.

If the final years and months of his long tenure were dominated by Wenger Out protests and frustration at Arsenal’s performances on the pitch, his goodbye was emotional.

Wenger’s final 12 years at Arsenal, after the club moved from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium, did not come close to matching the success of the first decade.

But the final month of the Frenchman’s time at the helm saw plenty of tributes paid from Arsenal fans, former players and opposition players after he announced it was time to go.

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When Wenger joined Arsenal in 1996, he was a revolutionary and helped bring the Premier League into the modern era.

He brought the title to Arsenal three times in his first eight seasons at the club – their previous three titles had come across a 45-year period.

There were seven FA Cups, more than the 17 other permanent Arsenal managers have managed combined.

While European glory always eluded Wenger – the closest they came to lifting the Champions League was in 2006, when they lost the final to Barcelona – they did qualify for Europe’s elite tournament 19 times in a row with him in charge, a record only bettered by Real Madrid.

Those achievements were why his final five league games as Arsenal boss saw all his opponents pay tribute.

Perhaps the most memorable image from his farewell tour was when Sir Alex Ferguson was on hand to congratulate him on the touchline at Old Trafford as the two longest-serving managers in the Premier League’s 26-year history embraced.

His final home game was a 5-0 win over Burnley, where 60,000 supporters wore ‘Merci Arsene’ t-shirts and ex-players such as Emmanuel Petit and Martin Keown made sure they were there to say goodbye.

A gritty 1-0 win at Huddersfield on the final day ensured he ended on a high and despite the criticism of his efforts over the final years, the undoubted feeling was one of sadness and thanks.

Arsene Wenger is a true great of English football and Arsenal Football Club.