Mikel Arteta

At 42 years old, Mikel Arteta has this physical status:

Mikel Arteta Amatriain (born 26 March 1982) is a Spanish professional football coach and former player.

He is an assistant coach at Manchester City's Premier League club. Arteta, a San Sebastián boy, started his football career at Barcelona as a youth player.

Despite a fruitful period on loan at Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and then moving to Rangers in 2002, he did not break into the club's first squad.

He quickly established himself as one of Rangers' top players, winning both the Scottish Premier League and Scottish League Cup in his first season.

In his second season, he saw a transfer back to Spain to join Real Sociedad for €5.2 million (£5 million).

However, sparse playing time led him to join Everton on loan in 2005, which was later made permanent for a fee of £2 million (€2.2 million) later this year. Arteta, a direct, attacking midfielder, flourished in England, and the club has continued to qualify for European competition on a regular basis.

Arteta's success attracted Arsenal, and he joined the club in 2011 for a fee of £10 million (€12 million).

Arteta gradually advanced into a more prominent role under Arsène Wenger's leadership, winning two FA Cups and two FA Community Shield championships.

Before retiring in 2016, he served as team captain before retiring. Arteta has worked for Spain at various youth levels, but never competed for the senior national team.

Arteta moved into teaching and became an assistant coach at Manchester City in 2016.

Personal life

Arteta was born in San Sebastián, northern Spain's mountainous Basque Country, on March 26, 1982. He is multilingual and fluent in Spanish, Basque, Catalan, and English. He also speaks French, Italian, and Portuguese.

Lorena Bernal, an Argentine-Spanish actress, television presenter, and model, is married to Argentine-Spanish actress Lorena Bernal. Gabriel (born 2009), Daniel (born 2012), and Oliver (born 2015).

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Playing career

Arteta, a born in San Sebastián, Basque Country, began his football career at Antiguayo and befriended fellow midfielder Xabi Alonso when they played together every weekend. The two boys used to play along the beaches and gutters of San Sebastián and often dreamed of playing together at Real Sociedad.

Arteta left the FC Barcelona B squad at 15 years old, while Alonso signed for Real Sociedad later. Arteta failed to join the first team and went out on loan to French club Paris Saint-Germain in December 2000. Arteta was mainly used as a playmaker during a season and a half in Paris. In the 2000–01 second group stage, he made his first appearances in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. PSG wanted to keep Arteta at the end of the loan term, so they did have a 'buy first' option. Arteta was signed by Rangers in March 2002, after the Scottish club made a financially stronger bid to Barcelona, but the French club pulled out of the French club after the 2001–2002 season ended.

In a £6 million transfer deal, Arteta signed for Scottish club Rangers in March 2002. He had a fruitful first season in Glasgow and quickly established himself as a first-team regular. On his debut with his Old Firm, he was scoring and converted a late penalty on the final day of the 2002–03 season, which was crucial for goal difference as Rangers completed the domestic treble of the Scottish Premier League, Scottish Cup, and Scottish League Cup championship (Arteta was out early in the season, but missed the match).

Arteta began his second season with Rangers scoring six goals in the first six games of the season as the club qualified for the Champions League group stages, but they did not qualify and finished the season without a trophy. Arteta returned to Spain after two seasons as a player; he later credited his time with Rangers as helping him grow as a player. "Scottish football was tough, really tough." It was really physical, people got at you, and I had to work on it a lot. I believe I did that to get to the point where the Premier League wanted of me."

In 2004, he joined Real Sociedad for €5.2 million, with the intention that Arteta and Xabi Alonso could play together. Alonso, who left for Liverpool and Arteta, was unable to establish himself in the team, playing only three league matches in the half-season, which was spent back in San Sebastián.

David Moyes, the Everton chief, signed Arteta in the 2005 January transfer window in the hopes of a permanent transfer. Arteta, as a replacement for Danish midfielder Thomas Gravesen, who had moved to Real Madrid, was instrumental in Everton's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League when they finished fourth in the Premier League, but Villarreal denied them in the last qualifying round. In a 4–0 victory over Crystal Palace, he scored his first Everton goal and signed a five-year contract in July 2005 for a price of £2 million.

Arteta was selected both the Everton Fans of the Season and the Players' Player of the Season awards for the 2005-06 season. Arteta's good form continued into 2006–07. He played for 35 games in the league and not only kept his starting position, but he also put on man-of-the-match performances and finished the season with nine goals from his 35 league games played. For the second year in a row, Arteta was named Player of the Season Award. He was also named as the Premier League's 'Midfielder of the Year' by Sky Sports' viewers, beating PFA Players' Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo.

Arteta's ingenuity was a vital piece of Everton's attacking play in the following season, and he had scored six goals before the end of January. Arteta had scored nine times in the 2006-07 season before retiring the season as Player of the Year. He aided Everton in securing a spot in the UEFA Cup and was ranked as the sixth best player in the Premier League by the ACTIM Index, but not enough credit to warrant his call-up to the full Spain squad. He started a new five-year contract in the summer of 2007.

Arteta won the North West Footballer of the Year award during the 2007–08 season, adding to his growing collection. In January 2008, he became the first Everton player to be named with the Liverpool Echo's Sports Personality of the Year award in five years.

Arteta sustained a stomach injury in the second half of the season, and shortly before the season's final game, he underwent surgery to fix the problem. In the Premier League opener against Blackburn Rovers with free kick, he scored his first goal of the 2008-09 season. He was named captain of a 2–2 draw with Newcastle United, scoring a penalty in the game. Arteta was carried off on a stretcher in a 0–0 draw with Newcastle having strained a ligament in his knee, just days after being recalled in the Spain national team squad. For the remainder of the 2008–09 season and the first five months of 2009–10, he was out for the remainder of the year and the first five months of 2009. Arteta began playing in the center of the field again over the course of the season, often alongside a defensive midfielder. This gave him the ability to set the tempo of the game and link with Pienaar and Osman on the wing.

Arteta returned from injury in January 2010 as a replacement in an FA Cup match against Birmingham City before leading to a 2–1 victory over Chelsea in a 2–1 home Premier League match. In a 5–1 victory over Hull City in March 2010, his first two goals of the season were scored. He had signed a five-year contract extension with Everton in August.

Both the squad and the player were not as successful as anticipated during the 2010–11 season. Arteta suffered a loss of form in Everton's hunt for a European spot following early goals against Manchester United in a thrilling 3–3 comeback at Goodison Park and a 2–0 win in the Merseyside derby. When he was playing on the wings again in the final part of the season, he began to show signs of creative ability in the final portion of the season, enjoying greater autonomy and space.

Arteta said after leaving Everton, "I am 29 years old, so I haven't had much time left to try a chance like this one." "I have done my best for Everton." A few weeks later, he said that Everton's dressing room has the 'best in football'.

Arteta signed with Arsenal on a four-year contract for a reported £10 million. In a 4-3 loss at Ewood Park on Monday, he made his Premier League debut against Swansea City on September 10th and scored his first Premier League goal for Arsenal. In the third round FA Cup victory over Leeds United, Arteta had his first chance to captain the Gunners, as the second Arsenal debut of Thierry Henry was in evidence. Arteta sustained ankle sprain in his team's 2–1 loss to Wigan Athletic on April 16th, which put him out for the remainder of the season. Despite this, he made 29 appearances throughout the season, scoring 6 times, and was voted the fifth most influential player of Arsenal's 2011-2012 campaign.

Arteta was named Arsenal's vice-captain for the 2012-2013 season after captain Robin van Persie's departure. He was voted the fourth best player of Arsenal's Player of the Season poll by the fans, leading the team to their 17th consecutive top-four finish. He missed the beginning of 2013–14 due to injury, but he returned to the squad at the end of September, scoring and then being sent off in the same match as a 2–0 victory over Crystal Palace in October. Arsenal defeated Wigan Athletic in the 2014 FA Cup Final, with Arteta scoring against former club Everton in the quarter-finals and the semi-final shootout against Wigan Athletic. Arteta captained the team in the final at Wembley Stadium, leading them to a 3–2 victory over Hull City and his first major award in English football.

Arteta was Arsenal's current club captain ahead of the 2014–15 season. In the 2014 FA Community Shield, he captured his first trophy as a full captain and spent the full 90 minutes. Despite his new hire, he would make 11 appearances for the entire season, scoring once. Arteta signed a one-year contract with Arsenal for the 2015–16 season, and came on as a replacement as Arsenal defeated Chelsea 1–0 to win the 2015 FA Community Shield, his first competitive appearance for the club since November 2014. Arsenal's last game of the season was on the last day of the season. Arteta came on as a replacement and forced Aston Villa goalkeeper Mark Bunn to score an own goal after his shot went off the crossbar. At full time, the audience erupted him.

Arteta competed for Spain at the youth level. He was captain of the team's winning 1999 European Under-16 Championships campaign, 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championships, and captained the team in the 2004 U21 European Championships qualifying campaign. Arteta was allowed to represent England in 2010, by the English FA and Fabio Capello, but he did not qualify under FIFA's five-year residency rule. However, FIFA has ruled out this, with Arteta claiming in an interview in 2016 that he "almost went to war with FIFA" over the decision.

Arteta was expected to be in Spain's squad in February 2009, but his name was not removed from the list until the squad was announced.

Arteta, who has been regarded as one of the top players in modern times to be refused a senior international cap, served at a time when Spain had several very high-quality players open in his position.

Arteta began playing as a number ten in Barcelona's youth system and was later promoted to the position of a "pivot" or defensive midfielder, as he was deemed a Pep Guardiola player. According to the official player ratings system, he was ranked as the sixth most influential player in the Premier League in 2006-07. Arteta has returned to his Arsenal roots as a midfielder. In which he excelled as his team's playmaker, his technique, knowledge, success, and tactical intelligence were all key. In the 2006–07 season, he had his third appearance in the league, behind Cesc Fébregas and Cristiano Ronaldo. He was the most fouled player in the Premier League with 100 fouls committed against him in the same season.

Coaching career

Arteta had three choices at retirement. Arsène Wenger, who was given the opportunity to lead the Arsenal Academy, could assist Tottenham Hotspur's (his colleague from PSG) backroom workers or join Pep Guardiola's coaching staff at Manchester City. Arteta was posted as an assistant coach at Manchester City on July 3, 2016, alongside Brian Kidd and Domènec Torrent, who served as deputies to Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola and Arteta first met at the Barcelona academy, but Guardiola was already established in the first team, being 11 years older than Arteta. Since then, the two couples stayed in touch. Guardiola was convinced that Arteta, who was a Chelsea player at the time, would make a good coach when he called him to Chelsea in order to get details about Chelsea ahead of their 2012 Champions League semifinals against Barcelona.

Guardiola, a former Bayern Munich, Arteta's last year as a player, reconnected and decided to work together in 2015. Arteta was in charge of Man City's 2–1 Champions League loss against Lyon on September 19, 2018 due to Guardiola's touchline suspension. Arteta has won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and two EFL Cups at Man City. Following the departure of his former boss Arsène Wenger, Arteta became strongly linked with the Arsenal manager's vacancy in 2018, but Unai Emery was eventually hired.

Arteta was appointed head coach at Arsenal's former club Arsenal on December 20, 1923, extending his contract until 2023. On his arrival, he said that the club had lost direction and that he did not want players to avoid responsibility: "I want people to take responsibility for their careers and I want people who bring passion and passion to the football team." Anyone who does not buy into it, or has a negative effect or otherwise is not smart enough for this environment or this culture."

Arteta took over for the first time as an Arsenal boss on Sunday against Bournemouth, which resulted in a 1–1 draw in the Premier League due to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's second half equalizer. Despite the draw, he expressed delight with his players' "attitude, passion, and fighting spirit." After a 2–0 victory over Manchester United at the Emirates on January 1, Arteta won his first match as Arsenal coach.

Arsenal defeated Arteta's former employer Manchester City 2–0 in the FA Cup semi-finals on July 18, bringing Arsenal's fourth FA Cup Final in seven years and Arteta's first in charge. Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2-1 for their 14th victory, making Arteta the first person to win the FA Cup as both captain and coach of Arsenal. In addition,, he became the first head coach or manager to win a major award in his first season in charge of the team since George Graham in 1986-87.

Arteta lifted his second trophy as boss after Arsenal beat Liverpool 5–4 on penalties in the FA Community Shield on Sunday, on August 29th. Arteta's role was officially changed from first team head coach to manager on September 10, reflecting a larger commitment at the club.

Arteta's first defeat in the FA Cup in his managerial career came on January 2321 as Arsenal was defeated by Southampton in the fourth round, unable to defend the title. Arteta defeated North London as a boss on March 14-2021, thanks to goals from Martin degaard and Alexandre Lacazette, a 2–1 win. That was also Arsenal's first victory over Tottenham Hotspur since December 2018. He guided Arsenal Arsenal to the semi-finals, where the team lost 2–1 on aggregate to Villarreal of Unai Emery. Arsenal came in eighth in the Premier League on Sunday, and Arsenal's 25-year involvement in European competitions came to an end.

Arsenal opened their season on August 13th, 2021, with a 2–0 loss to newly promoted Brentford.

Arsenal lost 5–0 to Manchester City on August 28, 2021.

Arteta's second manager of the month award was given on April 1st 2022.

Arteta was named as the month's manager of the month for August on September 16, 2022.

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