Arteta began his senior club career atBarcelona in 1999, but limited playing time led to a loan move toParis Saint-Germain in 2001, where he won theUEFA Intertoto Cup in his second season. Arteta joinedRangers in 2002 for £6 million, winning aleague andcupdouble in his debut season, scoring a decisive 93rd-minute penalty on the final day to win the league on goal difference. After a brief return to hometown clubReal Sociedad, Arteta signed forEverton in 2005 and was named the club'sPlayer of the Season twice. He joined Arsenal in 2011 for £10 million and won twoFA Cups before retiring in 2016. Arteta representedSpain through several youth levels but never played for the senior national team.
Arteta was appointed as an assistant coach toPep Guardiola atManchester City in 2016. He returned at Arsenal in a managerial capacity in 2019 and won theFA Cup in his debut season.
Playing career
Early career
Born inSan Sebastián,Basque Country, Arteta began his football career atAntiguoko and befriended fellow midfielderXabi Alonso as they played together every weekend.[3] The two often played along the beaches and gutters of San Sebastián and dreamed of playing together atReal Sociedad.[3] Arteta left San Sebastián aged 15 in July 1997, with Antiguoko teammates Jon Alvarez and Mikel Yanguas, to trial with Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia.[4] The trio played three trial games and all earned professional contracts with the club.[4] Housed in dormitories, the academy lifestyle was notoriously strict and Arteta's Antiguoko teammates would leave the academy shortly after arrival.[4] It was in these dormitories where Arteta would become room-mates and friends with Barca legendsVíctor Valdés andAndrés Iniesta as teenagers.[5] He would also make friends with budding club legendXavi Hernandez during his tenure at La Masia.[5] Arteta met then-Barcelona captain and his future coaching mentor Pep Guardiola during this time, while learning the practices of their then-head coach Louis van Gaal.[4]
Arteta trained regularly with Van Gaal's first team but was limited only to appearances in Spain'sSegunda División B withBarcelona B.[4] Following Van Gaal's departure from the club on 20 May 2000, incoming coachLorenzo Serra Ferrer broughtEmmanuel Petit andGerard Lopez into Barcelona's midfield, pushing Arteta further back into a queue which already included Guardiola,Luis Enrique,Phillip Cocu,Iván de la Peña, Xavi and Iniesta.[4] La Masia teammateJofre Mateu believed that Arteta wouldn't make it at Barcelona purely because of his competition, explaining in 2023, "Everyone knew he had a chance because of his quality but Xavi was extraordinary and Iniesta could play every position. I wasn't expecting him to be a Barcelona star because of the others."[4] With administrative changes in La Masia during the2000−01 season, Arteta and a number of his club mates quickly learnt that their futures were no longer with Barcelona.[4]
Loan to Paris Saint-Germain
Midway through the 2000−01 season, Arteta went to French clubParis Saint-Germain on an 18-month loan.[3] He joined a star-studded team managed byLuis Fernandez, a team which included the likes ofMauricio Pochettino,Gabriel Heinze,Jay-Jay Okocha andNicolas Anelka. Arteta would also later play withRonaldinho when the Brazilian moved toParis in the summer of 2001.[4] He made his senior debut on 10 February 2001 againstAuxerre in the round of 32 of the2000−01 Coupe de France.[citation needed] Arteta started the match at theParc des Princes and played the entire game in which PSG lost 4−0. On 17 February 2001, Arteta made hisFrench Division 1 debut coming off the bench in the 34th minute forVampeta in a 1−0 defeat againstrivalsMarseille, away at theStade Vélodrome.[6] Arteta was used by Fernández primarily as a playmaker during his time in Paris;[7] he played 11 games in hisfirst season and he scored his first senior goal on 12 May 2001 againstLille.[8] During Arteta'ssecond season with PSG, he won the2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup in the summer, watching both two-legged final games againstBrescia from the bench.[9] He played 53 games in total for PSG and scored five goals.[citation needed] PSG wanted to keep Arteta at the end of the loan period, and did have first refusal on the player.[10][11] Instead, he returned to Barcelona after his loan spell.
Arteta started hissecond season with Rangers by scoring six goals in the first six games of the season[16] as the club qualified for theChampions League group stages, although they did not qualify from that group and ended the campaign without a trophy. Arteta returned to Spain after two seasons in Glasgow; he later credited his spell at Rangers as helping him develop as a player, stating "Scottish football was tough, really tough. It was really physical, people got at you and I had to improve on that a lot. I think I did that to get to the level that the Premier League required of me."[17]
Real Sociedad
He joinedReal Sociedad for €5.2 million in 2004 with the idea being that Arteta andXabi Alonso could play together. However, Alonso left forLiverpool and Arteta failed to establish himself in the team,[3] starting only three league matches in the half-season he spent back in San Sebastián.[18]
Everton
Arteta playing for Everton in 2011
Everton managerDavid Moyes signed Arteta in the 2005 January transfer window on loan with a view to a permanent transfer. Seen as a replacement for Danish midfielderThomas Gravesen who had moved toReal Madrid,[19] Arteta played a vital part in helping Everton achieve the possibility of qualifying for the Champions League when they finished fourth in thePremier League; however, they were knocked out controversially byVillarreal in thelast qualifying round.[3] He scored his first Everton goal in a 4–0 victory overCrystal Palace,[20] and signed a permanent five-year deal in July 2005 for a fee of £2 million.[21]
The2005–06 season saw Arteta pick up both theEverton Player of the Season and thePlayers' Player of the Season awards.[2] Arteta's good form extended into 2006–07. As well as retaining his starting place, he frequently turned in man-of-the-match displays, and finished the season with nine goals from the 35 league games he played. Arteta was awarded thePlayer of the Season Award for the second consecutive year.[2] He was also voted the Premier League's 'Midfielder of the Year' by the viewers ofSky Sports, beatingPFA Players' Player of the YearCristiano Ronaldo to the award.[22]
Arteta's creativity was an essential part of Everton's attacking play the following season,[citation needed] and he had scored six goals by the end of January.[23] That improved further a season later, with Arteta scoring nine times in the 2006–07 season and once again ending the season as the Player of the Year. He helped Everton secure a place in theUEFA Cup and was ranked by the ACTIM Index as the sixth best player in the Premier League, but it did not earn him a call-up into the full Spain squad.[23] During the summer of 2007, he signed a new five-year contract.[23]
Arteta added another accolade to his growing collection during the2007–08 season, when he picked up theNorth West Footballer of the Year award. He then became the first Everton player in five years to receive theLiverpool Echo'sSports Personality of the Year award in January 2008.[citation needed]
Arteta suffered a stomach injury in the second half of the season, and shortly before the final game of the campaign, he underwent surgery to rectify the problem.[23] He scored his first goal of the2008–09 season in thePremier League opener versusBlackburn Rovers with a free kick. He was namedcaptain for a 2–2 draw withNewcastle United, scoring a penalty in the game. In February, Arteta was carried off on a stretcher in a 0–0 draw withNewcastle having injured a ligament in his knee, days after his first inclusion in the Spain national team squad. The injury kept him out for the rest of the 2008–09 season and the first five months of 2009–10. Over the course of the season, Arteta began to play in the centre of the field again, usually being partnered with a defensive midfielder. This gave him the freedom to dictate the tempo of the game and connect with Pienaar and Osman on the wing.[citation needed]
Arteta made his return from injury in January 2010 as a substitute in anFA Cup tie againstBirmingham City, before starting in a 2–1 home Premier League win againstChelsea. His first two goals of the season were scored in a 5–1 win overHull City in March 2010. In August that year, he signed a five-year contract extension with Everton.[24]
The2010–11 season proved to be not as successful as expected for both the team and the player. After early goals in the season, against Manchester United in a thriller 3–3 comeback atGoodison Park, and in a 2–0 win in theMerseyside derby, Arteta suffered a loss of form that would be crucial in Everton's push for a European spot. He began to show again glimpses of creative power in the final part of the season, when he was played again on the wing, enjoying more freedom and space.[citation needed]
Upon departing Everton, Arteta said "I am 29 years old so I haven't got much time left to take a chance like this one. I have done my best for Everton."[25] A few weeks later, he stated that the spirit in Everton's dressing room is the 'best in football'.[26]
Arsenal
Arteta playing for Arsenal in 2012
Arteta signed forArsenal on 31 August 2011 on a four-year deal for a reported fee of £10 million.[27] He made his debut on 10 September in a 1–0 home win againstSwansea City,[28] and scored his firstPremier League goal for Arsenal in a 4–3 loss againstBlackburn Rovers atEwood Park.[29] Arteta got his first chance to captain theGunners in the third-round FA Cup victory over Leeds United, a game in that marked the second Arsenal debut ofThierry Henry. Arteta suffered an ankle sprain in his side's 2–1 loss toWigan Athletic on 16 April, which sidelined him for the remainder of the season.[30] Despite this he made 29 appearances all season, scoring 6 times, and was voted by the fans as the fifth most important player of the 2011–12 campaign in Arsenal's Player of the Season poll.[31]
Following the departure of captainRobin van Persie, Arteta was made Arsenal's vice-captain for the 2012–13 season.[32] He was voted by the fans as the fourth best player of the 2012–13 campaign in Arsenal's Player of the Season poll, after leading the team to their 17th consecutive top four finish. He missed the beginning of 2013–14 due to injury, but returned to the squad by the end of September,[33] going on to score and be sent off in the same match, a 2–0 win away toCrystal Palace in October.[34] Arsenal reached the2014 FA Cup final, with Arteta scoring against former club Everton in the quarter-final, as well as in the semi-final shootout against Wigan Athletic.[35][36] Arteta captained the side for the final at Wembley, leading them to a 3–2 win againstHull City and receiving his first major honour in English football.[37]
Arteta becameArsenal's new club captain ahead of the 2014–15 season.[38][39] He won his first trophy as full-time captain, playing the full 90 minutes as Arsenal beatManchester City 3–0 in the2014 FA Community Shield.[39][40] Despite his new appointment, he would only make 11 appearances for the whole season, scoring once. Arteta signed a one-year extension with Arsenal for the 2015–16 season[41] and came on as a substitute as Arsenal beatChelsea 1–0 to win the2015 FA Community Shield,[42] his first competitive appearance for the club since November 2014. His final game for Arsenal came on the last day of the season. Arteta came on as a substitute and forcedAston VillagoalkeeperMark Bunn into scoring an own goal after his shot went off the crossbar. He received a standing ovation from the crowd at full time.[43]
Arteta was believed to be in Spain's squad in February 2009 but a cruciate knee ligament injury meant his name was removed from the list before the squad was announced.[48] Often noted to be one of the best players in modern times to be omitted a senior international cap, Arteta played at a time when Spain had several enormously high quality players available in his position, such asXavi,Andrés Iniesta,Xabi Alonso,Cesc Fàbregas,Marcos Senna,Sergio Busquets,Santi Cazorla andDavid Silva.[48][49]
Style of play
Arteta taking a corner kick for Arsenal in 2011
Arteta initially started out playing as a number 10 in the Barcelona youth system, and was later shifted to the position of a "pivot" or defensive midfielder, as he was thought to be a player in the mould ofPep Guardiola.[50] He was rated as the sixth most effective player in thePremier League in2006–07 by the official player ratings system the Actim Index. Arteta returned to his originaldeeper midfield role at Arsenal.[51] in which he excelled as his team's playmaker, due to his technique, skill, vision, passing, awareness, and tactical intelligence.[52][53][54][55] His total of 12 league assists in the2006–07 season was third toCesc Fàbregas andCristiano Ronaldo.[56] With 100 fouls committed against him in the same season, he was the most fouled player in the Premier League.[57]
Guardiola and Arteta first met at theBarcelona academy, although Guardiola was already established in the first team, being 11 years older than Arteta. Since then, the two kept in touch. Guardiola was convinced Arteta – who was an Arsenal player at the time – would make a good coach when he called him to get information on Chelsea, prior to their2012 Champions League semi-finals against Barcelona.
In 2015, when Guardiola was exitingBayern Munich, Arteta, in his final year as a player, re-connected and decided to work together.[59] Arteta stood in as Man City manager in a 2–1Champions League loss againstLyon on 19 September 2018, because of Guardiola's touchline ban.[60] At Man City, Arteta won twoPremier League titles, anFA Cup, and twoEFL Cups. In 2018, Arteta became strongly linked with the Arsenal manager's vacancy, following the departure of his former manager Arsène Wenger, butUnai Emery was eventually hired.[61][62]
Arsenal
2019–22: Early years and FA Cup win
On 20 December 2019, Arteta was appointed head coach at his former clubArsenal, signing a deal until 2023.[63][64] Upon his appointment, he stated that he believed the club had lost direction and that he didn't want players to shirk responsibility: "I want people to take responsibility for their jobs and I want people who deliver passion and energy in the football club. Anyone who doesn't buy into this, or that has a negative effect or whatever, is not good enough for this environment or this culture."[65] Arteta named his coaching staff on 24 December, with assistantsAlbert Stuivenberg andSteve Round, and goalkeeping coachIñaki Caña joining the club. Interim head coachFreddie Ljungberg remained as assistant coach, and goalkeeping coachSal Bibbo stayed to work with Caña.[66][67]
On 26 December 2019, Arteta took charge for the first time as an Arsenal manager for theirPremier League match againstBournemouth which ended in a 1–1 draw, thanks to a second half equaliser fromPierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Despite the draw, he stated he was pleased with the "attitude, passion and the fighting spirit" of his players.[68] On 1 January 2020, Arteta got his first win as Arsenal coach: a 2–0 win overManchester United at theEmirates.[69]
On 18 July 2020, Arsenal beat Arteta's former employer Manchester City 2–0 in theFA Cup semi-final, leading Arsenal to their fourthFA Cup final in seven years, and Arteta's first in charge. Arsenal went on to win thefinal 2–1 overChelsea for arecord 14th victory, making Arteta the first person to win the FA Cup as both captain and coach of Arsenal.[70] Moreover, he became the first head coach or manager to win a major trophy in his first season in charge of the club sinceGeorge Graham in 1986–87.[71]
Prior to the start of the2020–21 season, Arsenal announced that assistant coachFreddie Ljungberg and goalkeeping coachSal Bibbo had departed the club; while assistant coachesCarlos Cuesta andMiguel Molina, andset-piece coachAndreas Georgson joined Arteta's backroom staff.[72] On 29 August, Arteta won his second trophy as manager after Arsenal beatLiverpool 5–4 on penalties in theFA Community Shield.[73] On 10 September, Arteta's role was formally changed from first team head coach to manager, reflecting a wider remit at the club.[74]
On 23 January 2021, Arteta had his first defeat in theFA Cup in his managerial career as Arsenal was knocked out bySouthampton in the fourth round, unable to defend the title.[75] On 14 March 2021, Arteta claimed his first victory in theNorth London derby as a manager thanks to goals fromMartin Ødegaard andAlexandre Lacazette in a 2–1 win.[76] That was also Arsenal's first victory overTottenham since December 2018.[77] In theEuropa League, he led Arsenal to the semi-finals, in which they lost 2–1 on aggregate to Unai Emery'sVillarreal.[78] Later on, Arsenal finished 8th in thePremier League, and the 25-year run of participating in European competitions came to an end.[79]
In July 2021, set-piece coachNicolas Jover joined Arteta's coaching team, replacingAndreas Georgson who had departed the club.[80][81] On 13 August, Arsenal started their season with a 2–0 loss to newly promotedBrentford, followed by losses toChelsea andManchester City which left the club bottom of the league without a point or a goal, and left Arteta in a precarious position going into the international break.[82][83] Arsenal resisted calls from supporters for Arteta to be sacked, and the club duly went on to win all their league games in September, leading to Arteta receiving his firstmanager of the month award.[84] On 1 April 2022, Arteta received his second Manager of the Month award and on 6 May extended his contract to the end of the 2024–25 season.[85][86] Having sat in fourth place throughout much of the second half of the campaign, successive defeats away at bothTottenham Hotspur andNewcastle United in the closing weeks of the season saw Arsenal slip to 5th in the final table, and having to settle for a campaign in theUEFA Europa League for the following season.
2022–24: Title challengers and Champions League return
On 16 October 2022, Arteta's side beatLeeds United 1–0 atElland Road. This was the club's best start to a top-flight campaign as theGunners had won nine of their first ten league games for the first time ever. The result also moved Arsenal four points clear at the top of the Premier League.[102][103][104] On 6 November, theGunners beatChelsea 1–0 atStamford Bridge. This was Arteta's 87th victory in 150 games in charge of Arsenal – more than any of his predecessors, includingGeorge Graham andArsène Wenger, over the equivalent period.[105][106][107][108] After guiding Arsenal to four wins from four Premier League games in November and December, Mikel Arteta picked up his second Premier League Manager of the Month award of the campaign, winning the award for the fourth time since December 2019.[109][110]
On 22 January 2023, Arteta's side beatManchester United 3–2 at Home.[111][112][113] The victory put them a five-point advantage at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand, and meant that Arsenal had 50 points from 19 games at the halfway stage of the league season – their best start to a top-flight campaign – 15 more than they had at the same stage last season.[114][115] After leading theGunners to two wins and a draw in January from their Premier League games against three teams vying for a place in the top four, Mikel Arteta was named Premier League Manager of the Month for the third time this season – the fifth time since December 2019.[116] He was the first manager to win the award in successive months sinceManchester City'sPep Guardiola did so in November and December 2021. Arteta also became the first Arsenal manager to win the award three times in a single campaign, which was the first time that had happened in the league sinceLiverpool'sJürgen Klopp won five in the 2019–20 season.[117][118]
On 12 March, Arsenal beat Fulham 3–0 atCraven Cottage. This was Arteta's 100th win in his 168th game in charge of Arsenal, meaning he has the best win percentage of any Arsenal manager. Arteta said afterwards "there is still a lot to improve."[119][120][121] The following day, he was awardedManager of the Year at the 2023 London Football Awards.[122][123] He won his fourthManager of the Month award of the season in March.[124] Following a loss on penalties toSporting CP after a 2–2 aggregate draw in theUEFA Europa League round of 16, injuries to key playersWilliam Saliba andTakehiro Tomiyasu would prove detrimental, as Arsenal's seven-game winning streak spanning from mid-February to early April would derail with three consecutive draws to Liverpool, West Ham United, and bottom-of-the-table Southampton, before a 4–1 loss at theEtihad Stadium to allow second-place Manchester City to capitalise on Arsenal's drop in form.
By 20 May, Arsenal could no longer mathematically win the title after consecutive losses to Brighton[125] and Nottingham Forest, finishing in second-place and handing the title to Manchester City, being crowned Premier League champions for the third consecutive season before completing the continental treble.[126] The team's second-place finish meant Arteta was the first manager sinceArsène Wenger six years earlier to guide Arsenal to a Champions League qualification spot, and was the highest position Arsenal had finished in since being league runners-up in2015–16.[127]
It was reported in July 2023 that assistant coachSteve Round had departed the club.[128][129] Arsenal opened their2023–24 campaign with a 4–1 victory via penalty shoot-out following a 1–1 draw against reigning champions Manchester City, winning the2023 FA Community Shield accounting for Arteta's third trophy as Arsenal manager.[130] On 8 October, Arteta's Arsenal defeatedManchester City at the Emirates Stadium 1–0 to end Arsenal's 12-game straight losing run against City in the Premier League.[131] Arteta's 200th game as Arsenal manager came on 25 November, which saw Arsenal win 1–0 away atBrentford to take top spot of the Premier League for the first time in the season.[132] On 29 November, Arteta led Arsenal to the Champions League knockout stages for the first time since2016–17, following a 6–0 win overLens to win Group B.[133] Arteta was named Premier League Manager of the Month for February due to Arsenal's 100% win record throughout the month as well as scoring 18 goals in the process.[134] In the Champions League round of 16, Arsenal defeatedPorto on penalties to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament for the first time since2009–10.[135] On 12 May 2024, Arsenal defeatedManchester United in a 1–0 away win atOld Trafford to secure 27 wins in the 2023–24 campaign at that point, the most for a 38-game season in the club's history; surpassing the record set bythe Invincibles in the2003–04 season.[136] However despite beatingEverton 2-1 on the final day of the season, Arsenal finished runner up to Manchester City for the second season in a row missing out on the title by two points.[137]
On 12 September 2024, Arteta extended his contract to remain Arsenal manager for three years.[138]
He is married to Argentine-Spanish actress, television host, and modelLorena Bernal.[141] The couple have three children: Gabriel (born 2009), Daniel (born 2012) and Oliver (born 2015).[142][143]
Playing statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
^Arteta's appointment was announced on 20 December 2019 but did not take effect until 22 December. The intervening match againstEverton was taken by interim head coachFreddie Ljungberg.[160]
^Bruna, Eric; Opoczynski, David; Nedjari, Karim (20 March 2002)."Les Glasgow Rangers subtilisent Arteta au PSG" [Glasgow Rangers steal Arteta from PSG].Le Parisien (in French).Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved14 July 2014.
.png)
