Exclusive: Wenger on Seaman the 'legend'
Arsène Wenger has heaped praise on David Seaman after the former Arsenal goalkeeper announced his retirement from football yesterday.
The Frenchman took the helm at Highbury in September 1996, roughly halfway through Seaman's 13-year spell with the Gunners and this afternoon told Arsenal.com about the contribution he made to the Club.
"His record speaks for him," said Wenger. "He has been a legend and I feel that history will give him his real place because he has not always got the credit he deserved.
"It needs a special strength to take the pressure when you play both here at Arsenal and for your national team. You are in the spotlight and will always be criticised.
"But, whenever he was criticised, he was always strong enough to respond. When you might have expected him to fail, he always came back with a strong performance.
"He has a mixture of a laid-back attitude and mental strength. You might think maybe this guy does not care too much but when he is challenged he has a resolute, iron attitude which makes him stronger than anybody else.
"Frankly, it took me by surprise that he has decided to quit now. The fact he chose to move to Manchester City and not stay here convinced me that he wanted to go on for more than one year. I felt he would not have moved otherwise."
But then, if Wenger had had his way, Seaman would never have left in the summer after making his 564th and final appearance for the Club in the FA Cup Final victory over Southampton last May.
"I tried to persuade him to stay here as cover and a goalkeeping coach but he chose a different solution and you have to respect that," said Wenger. "As a player it is difficult to know the right age to stop. You want to play as long as you can because that time will never come back.
"But then the first quality in this job is to be healthy and not to have injuries. Maybe his body got on top of his mental desire and he had to accept that his body did not want it anymore."
"He was always a great ambassador for the club and his attitude was really special," he said. "Within this building he was very much loved because he always took care of the team.
"He was not only an outstanding player but an outstanding partner for this football club."
[14 January 2004]
温格谈希曼传奇
前阿森纳门将希曼昨天宣布退役，温格对其赞美有佳。
这位法国教练在1996年9月开始执掌阿森纳，那正是希曼13年为阿森纳效力的中间时段。下午接受官方网采访时，温格谈了希曼对球队的贡献。
“我的记录说明了一切。他是一个传奇，我想历史会给予他公正，因为之前他并没有获得应有的信任。
“同时为阿森纳和国家队效力时，压力是不可避免的。你会是各方关注的焦点，因此也就常常会遭到批评。
“但当他受到职责时，他总是勇敢面对。即使你认为他会倒下，可他却能顽强地重新振作。
他给人感觉既从容又坚强。也许你认为他是个满不在乎的人，但在面对挑战时，他是个不屈不饶、意志坚强的人，这时候他是无比强大的。
“说实话，他现在就退役令我有点出乎意料。当时他选择去向曼城而不是留在阿森纳，我以为他会再多踢一年。我知道他不会再为其他球队效力了。”
但是，按照温格的说法，希曼不应该选择离开阿森纳。去年5月阿森纳在足总杯比赛战胜南安普顿，这是希曼第564次代表阿森纳出场比赛，也是他在阿森纳的最后一场比赛。
“我曾试图劝他留下，继续做我们坚固的最后一道防线。但是他却有其他选择，而我们也应该尊重他的决定。球员很难确定自己可以踢到对少岁数。他们都希望只要还能踢就继续踢，因为必须抓紧这时间。
“作为球员，必须保持身体健康，远离伤病。也许他是考虑到自己的身体状况了，认为以自己现在的状态不应该再继续打比赛了。”
“他是阿森纳的代表人物，他有自己的态度。因为他总是想着球队，所以在这里深受爱戴。”
“他不仅是一名优秀的球员，更是阿森纳俱乐部的好伙伴。”
