Arsène Wenger was once quoted saying that Dragan Stojkovic was the best footballer he`d ever had the fortune to work with as a manager. Read: Neither Bergkamp nor Thierry Henry, but Dragan Stojkovic.- that MEANS SOMETHING or doesn`t it ? The latter`s career at Olympique de Marseille was cut short due to injuries, and when the former Champions League winner, as a result of financial irregularities and the match-fixing scandal, suffered enforced relegation, Stojkovic left France and Europe for Japan where he joined J-League-Club Nagayo Grampus 8. At Nagayo and under Arsène Wenger`s careful player management, Stojkovic immediately regained strength. 29 years of age, he was better than ever during his first season in Japan. Many European top clubs - Real Madrid, Juve, Milan, Parma, to name but a few - outright showered him with attractive offers, Wenger wanted Stojkovic to join him when he left for Arsenal in the summer of 1996. Having already become a cult hero in Japan, Stojkovic declined all offers and spent the remainder of his career at Nagayo.