Frank Arnesen
After playing for his local club in Denmark, Frank Arnesen was scouted in 1975 when he was nineteen by AFC Ajax, one of the best football clubs in the world at that time. He was club captain at twenty-three and helped Ajax win three Dutch league titles. He later helped PSV Eindhoven to also win three league titles – and the European Cup.
Frank was capped fifty-two times, scoring fourteen times for the Danish national team and participating in the 1984 European Championship and the 1986 World Cup. After retiring from playing, he has enjoyed a highly successful career in football management, first as assistant coach and then director of football back at PSV Eindhoven. He became sporting director for Tottenham Hotspur FC and later for Chelsea FC, then Hamburger SV. He is currently Technical Director of the leading Dutch football club Feyenoord Rotterdam.
One’s ego can easily stand in the way if you want to do something good or great – it should never be about you. When I think about success, it has always been our success as a team of people and not just me.
One of the main reasons why you must find something that you love doing is because it is impossible to find success in life at anything unless you really work hard at it. And, when you are working hard at something you really love doing, it doesn’t feel like hard work!
I always recommend making time for keeping fit – it will enable you to prepare yourself better for life’s challenges, give you stamina and help to keep you mentally agile.
A parent’s key role in helping their children to find their way to enjoying a successful life is mainly encouragement – be positive, allow them room, help them to explore and give them lots of encouragement to be their best.
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Read more from Frank Arnesen and the other 21 exceptional contributors to this book
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