Mikel Arteta Amatriain (born 26 March 1982) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Arsenal. Arteta is known for his tactical innovation and his comprehensive football philosophy.
Born and raised in San Sebastián, Arteta began his senior club career at Barcelona in 1999, but limited playing time led to a loan to Paris Saint-Germain in 2001, aged 18. After winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup during his second season in France, he then signed for Scottish club Rangers for a fee of £6 million. During his debut season, Arteta won the Scottish Premier League and Scottish League Cup double, where he notably scored a 93rd-minute penalty against Dunfermline Athletic which secured the league title over rivals Celtic on goal difference.
After a brief return to hometown club Real Sociedad, Arteta joined English club Everton on loan in 2005; he later signed permanently. There, Arteta grew into a pivotal and influential player, winning Everton Player of the Season twice. Signing for Arsenal in 2011 for a reported fee of £10 million, Arteta won two FA Cups and served as captain from 2014 until his retirement in 2016. Arteta represented Spain through several youth levels, but never played for the senior national team. He is often noted as one of the best players of the 21st century to be omitted a senior international cap.
After retiring, he was appointed as an assistant coach to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. In 2019, he returned to Arsenal as head coach and won the FA Cup in his first year; his title was changed to manager in September 2020 to reflect his broader remit at the club.
Playing career
Early career
Born in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Arteta began his football career at Antiguoko and befriended fellow midfielder Xabi Alonso as they played together every weekend. The two often played along the beaches and gutters of San Sebastián and dreamed of playing together at Real Sociedad. 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. The trio played three trial games and all earned professional contracts with the club. Housed in dormitories, the academy lifestyle was notoriously strict and Arteta's Antiguoko teammates would soon leave the academy shortly after arrival. Whilst at La Masia, Arteta grew up sandwiched between two budding club legends in Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez, he met then-Barcelona captain and his future coaching mentor Pep Guardiola during his time at the academy, whilst learning the practices of their then-head coach Louis van Gaal.
Arteta trained regularly with Van Gaal's first team but was limited only to appearances in Spain's Segunda División B with Barcelona B. Following Van Gaal's departure from the club on 20 May 2000, incoming coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer brought Emmanuel Petit and Gerard 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. La Masia teammate Jofre Mateu believed that Arteta wouldn't make it at Barcelona purely because of his competition. When discussing Arteta's development in an interview with The Athletic in 2023, Mateu explained, "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." With administrative changes in La Masia during the 2000−01 season, Arteta and a number of his club mates quickly learnt that their futures were no longer with Barcelona.