Once described by Arsene Wenger as “the best right-back in the Premier League”, Bacary Sagna is regarded as one of the most accomplished defenders of his generation.
The former France international earned more than 60 caps, appeared at three major tournaments and spent the peak of his club career in England, becoming a cornerstone of Wenger’s Arsenal before adding more titles with Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.
Now 43 and based in the UAE, Sagna sat down for an exclusive interview with The National's Mina Rzouki for an episode of The Long Game to reflect on a life shaped by elite dressing rooms, personal loss and reinvention.
The conversation moves from his formative years and the realities of England’s top-flight culture to the next chapter: his work in Dubai as coach of women's team Banaat FC.
The most powerful moments come when he revisits his Arsenal years and the death of his brother. Sagna speaks candidly about playing on while in shock, carrying grief onto the pitch as his body began to break down.
“Focus became very difficult,” he says, describing how emotional strain manifested physically. Only later did he understand the connection. “You need to grieve. You need to accept, and you need to transfer.”
Wenger emerges as a defining presence – a manager who, Sagna says, “understood the human being before he understood the player”.
Away from football, he is a devoted father. He describes the pride – and nerves – watching his eldest son make his senior debut for UAE Pro League club Al Jazira: “Very excited and very stressed,” he says.
Watch the full episode of The Long Game here.
