News Focus
- Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta prepares to face his former club Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final
- The Spaniard joined PSG as an 18-year-old loanee from Barcelona B during the 2000/01 campaign
- Former PSG boss Luis Fernandez handed Arteta his professional debut and promised him regular playing time
- Arteta developed his defensive skills while playing behind attacking legends like Ronaldinho and Jay-Jay Okocha
- The Gunners seek their first European crown against the reigning champions in Munich
Mikel Arteta stands on the brink of history. The Arsenal manager believes his side will lift the Champions League trophy on Saturday, even though they must overcome the reigning holders Paris Saint-Germain. This final carries a special meaning for the 42-year-old. The French club gave him his first steps in professional football more than two decades ago.
Back in 2001, a teenage Arteta arrived in the French capital on loan from Barcelona’s reserve team. Breaking into Barcelona’s star-studded midfield was impossible. Pep Guardiola, Xavi Hernández and Emmanuel Petit blocked his path. Even Luis Enrique, the current PSG manager, stood ahead of him in the queue.
Luis Fernandez, then in charge at Parc des Princes, rescued the young Spaniard. The coach called Arteta and made a simple promise. “I fully trust you,” Fernandez said. “You are going to play games.” He kept his word. Arteta made his debut in a French Cup match against Auxerre in February 2001. Five days later, he started against AC Milan in the Champions League.
The dressing room dazzled with talent. Mauricio Pochettino organised the defence. Nicolas Anelka led the line. Gabriel Heinze and a young Ronaldinho arrived months later. However, Arteta spent most of his time watching the attacking stars from behind. “I had to do all the defending because I had Ronaldinho and Okocha in front of me,” he recalled recently. “It was almost unreal.”
Despite the galaxy of names, that PSG side failed to win major silverware. They lifted only the Intertoto Cup. Dressing room tensions and dysfunction held them back. Arteta noticed these problems. He watched how individual egos damaged team spirit. At the end of his 18-month stay, he wanted to remain in Paris. Barcelona refused to sell, so he moved to Rangers instead.
Those months in France left a permanent mark. Arteta has admitted the experience “ignited something” in him to become a manager. He learned the value of defensive work and team unity. When he took over at Arsenal in 2019, he found a club similar to that old PSG outfit. The squad possessed talent but lacked cohesion and defensive discipline.
Now, Arsenal play as a collective unit. Arteta has removed the selfishness and installed a culture of hard work without the ball. Every player defends. The team attacks as one. This transformation mirrors the lessons he absorbed as a youngster in Paris. The belief Fernandez showed in him as a player is the same belief he now shows his squad.
Saturday’s clash in Munich brings the story full circle. The club that launched his career now stands between him and the biggest prize in club football. Arteta has already ended Arsenal’s 22-year wait for the Premier League title. Victory against PSG would place him alongside the greatest managers in the club’s history.