Happy Birthday Le Prof!

Like many other fans, or probably out of sheer naivety, I used to think that Arsène Wenger’s first name was not his real name but rather the usage of pun to resemble the World’s Greatest Football Team manager. Maybe it was just destiny that the fine gent would be at the helm of the Arsenal for 18 years now, and counting. But like key and lock, the two are a match that must’ve been made in heaven to give us over a thousand memorable football matches.

Born on 22nd October, 1949 in Strasbough, France, the former midfielder and Fifa World Manager of the Decade, is probably one of the finest gents one can ever encounter. Football pundits give Wenger credit for his contribution to the revolutionizing of football in England in the late 1990’s through the introduction of changes in the training and diet of players. Raised as a Roman Catholic, he admits that his faith has had an impact in his view of life and to an extent football.

Nicknamed “Le Professeur” by fans and the British media. It reflects Wenger’s studious demeanour. His approach to the game emphasizes an attacking mentality, with the aim that football ought to be entertaining on the pitch. So this is a birthday post to Le Prof. A father figure to many and a cult hero to some. Wise and knowledgeable yet still stubborn in a truly phlegmatic way. Here’s to you turning 65. May God grant you many many more. And hopefully bag in more trophies as you manage The Arsenal!

Having joined Arsenal as an ‘unknown’ in 1996, Arsène has gone on to win many major titles for the club including;

• The FA Premier League: 1997–98, 2001–02, 2003–04
• The FA Cup: 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2013–14
• The FA Community Shield: 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2014

Perhaps the greatest of all was when between 2003-2005, the great man led Arsenal to a 49-game unbeaten run and the incredible team won the league unbeaten for more than a season earning themselves the enviable but self attained title of ‘The Invincibles‘.

Having come really close for the best of them all, the UEFA ChampionsLeague in what is the most devastating game I’ve ever watched in my life in 2006. We played against Barcelona for a ninth of the match as ten men having seen goalkeeper Lehmann sent off for a challenge against an opponent outside the box. But that seems so distant in the past and what matters most now is focus on the present and the future. Starting with tonight’s Champions League match against Belgium’s Anderlecht F.C.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Some Life Lessons

In November, 2003, she posted the following on her social media accounts: “The view of Langata cemetery reminds me that that will be my home too some day”.

Many months later on July 26th, 2014, she posted this: “If only we treated others like we would want to be treated, the world would be a happier place,” on her Facebook account. A day later on her Twitter account, she posted the following: “A man’s dignity is not measured by the amount of tears shed when he dies.”

It was now a week before her planned operation meant to donate a kidney to an ailing uncle. While thousands of kilometers away from home, rather unknowingly left the world with the solemn messages. But with her life, she taught us about paying the ultimate sacrifice for the good of others. Maybe she knew. That as she went under the surgeon’s blade, it would be the last time she would shut her eyes to never open them again-at least in this side of eternity. Some people hold the belief that it’s possible to feel the end of life as it approaches. A lady in the prime of her life, with a determined intent to save a loved one’s’ life and avert the loss of life through a kidney problem. Her story speaks of courage. She must have known the pain too well though, having gotten bereaved of her own father in the previous year and to the same ailment.

She flew out of the country and landed in India for the sake of her ailing uncle. But the cruelty of death struck and took with it the life of Rehema Kanini Muthoni during Kenya’s 16th year anniversary of the 1998 bomb blast in Nairobi. The sadness that followed was as deep as the acknowledgement of her sheer kindness and will.

It’s known for a fact that as time has gone, we have become a world full of egocentric tendencies and individualism is like never before. Sometimes, even caring for one’s own blood-connected relatives is totally lacking. Brothers kill each other for the sake of wealth. Jealousy and other minute matters have been magnified by our own selfish ambition. Love is no longer a verb but a noun. The end, many believe, justifies the means but what if we posed and reflected upon what in life means the most?Silence.

I do not know what you hold dearest in life. It could be your education, your looks or the desires that drive you from one day to the next. Realize we will not be eternally here on Earth. We are just passing by. Make the most of it but remember, sometimes you’re not meant to have it all. If you can breath without the aid of machines, praise God for that. Don’t let selfish ambition drive you nuts as you try to prove yourself. Jesus summed up all the commandments as thus: Love God completely and love your neighbour as you love yourself.

Rehema Kanini is described by her family and friends, as a selfless and compassionate individual. Maybe, just maybe, she heeded to Philippians 2:3-4

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.