Arsene Wenger won three Premier League titles with Arsenal and a record seven FA Cups

LEGENDARY former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.

Somewhat fittingly the Frenchman has been included alongside his long-time rival, Manchester United great Sir Alex Ferguson, as the pair become the first managers to be bestowed the highest individual honour awarded by the league.

Wenger’s 22 seasons in charge of the Gunners is a Premier League record. During that time he guided the north Londoners to three league titles, making history in 2003/04 when “The Invincibles” became the only team to win the Premier League without losing a single game throughout the entire campaign.

Dubbed “The Professor”, Wenger was one of the first foreign managers in the Premier League when he took over Arsenal in 1996. With the help of signings like Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires, he undoubtedly raised the standards of the beautiful game as he continually produced Arsenal sides famed for playing attractive football.

On hearing the news of his award, Wenger said: “I am very grateful to have been selected for the Premier League Hall of Fame. We always wanted to give something special to the fans and when you have players capable of remarkable things, the most important thing for me is the obligation of perfection.

“I’d like to be known as someone who loved Arsenal, who respected the values of the club and left it in a position where it can grow and become even bigger.

“To share this with Sir Alex is a great honour for me. It’s like two boxers, you fight like mad and go the distance together. At the end of the day, you have respect and it will be a great opportunity to meet with him, share a good bottle of wine and memories of our old battles.”

Wenger managed a record 828 Premier League matches, including 476 wins and 199 draws. He was voted manager of the season in 1998, 2002 and 2004.