Wenger managed Nagoya for the final time on 28 August 1996 and delivered a farewell speech, thanking the fans in Japanese. Assessing his time in Japan, biographer Jasper Rees felt Wenger had left a mixed legacy at the club, as the immediate success was followed by fluctuating league finishes; it was not until 2010 that Nagoya (under Stojković) won their first title. Wenger continues to speak fondly of his career in Japan and once likened the country to his ancestral home: "It has beautiful things that we have lost in Europe, beautiful things that make life good." He also credited the culture for improving his temperament and rediscovering his passion for the game. Wenger returned to Japan as a television pundit for the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, and a decade later, took Arsenal to face Nagoya in a pre-season friendly.