Mikel Arteta has lived with Brazilian culture for years. As a player, he shared a dressing room with renowned names in the country. Already retired, he worked with some as an assistant and today, a technician at the Arsenaldirects others.
There are so many that it’s difficult to choose a favorite, right? It’s not quite like that. In an exclusive interview with ESPN, Arteta resorted to his childhood feelings to say who was the first Brazilian who enchanted him in the world of football. The answer was on the tip of our tongue.
“The first was Romário. I fell in love with Romário when he went to Barcelona. I was crazy about Johan (Cruyff), and when Romário signed, the first year was impressive”, revealed the Spanish coach, who was based at Barça, where Baixinho played for a year and a half, between 1993 and 1995.
“Then it came Ronaldo, Rivaldo, many others more. I was lucky enough to play with Ronaldinho and for me it was also a milestone in my career, to live with someone who has the ability to feel and live the game in a joyful and natural way. He had a lot of influence on me”, recalled Arteta, a teammate of R10 during his time at PSG.
In addition to Barcelona and PSG, Arteta defended Rangers, Everton and Arsenal, where he hung up his boots in 2016 and soon changed roles. He left London for Manchester, where he became Pep Guardiola’s assistant. He gained titles and experience at City to return to Gunners and begin his coaching career once and for all at the hands of another Brazilian: Edu Gaspar.
To the director, there are only words of affection and gratitude from Arteta.
“Since they brought Edu, it was an absolute success. Someone who was a player and had incredible success at the club, who knew the culture and had a clear vision of how to win. He changed my life, because he had the courage to trust me without having been a coach, such a big club and in a difficult time. You need to have a lot of personality to do that”, said the coach.
The start was not easy, but, season after season, Arteta managed to get Arsenal back on track. Part of the success of the team, which leads the Premier League with two rounds to go (and one game more than the competitor Manchester City), is also a reflection of the talent of those who emerged in Brazil.
At Emirates Stadium, the fans often shout that the coach has “collected Brazilians”. Arteta laughs about the coincidence of having, in his squad, three “Gabrieis” (Magalhães, Jesus and Martinelli), not counting Jorginho, a naturalized Italian. The coach only has positive words to say about everyone, especially the defender.
“I don’t know if I’m collecting Gabis, but they are wonderful people. When you try to draw a football player, the three of them have great things. They have very different personalities, but an ambition, a hunger to win, to be better… They helped us a lot”, said Arteta.
“A defender has to have presence and someone at his side who understands him. I believe he took a very important step on a personal level, in maturity, in family stability, which helped him become more serene, and on top of that he began to find with Saliba by his side. It’s no coincidence that he’s getting better and better.”
If Magalhães is an absolute starter, the attackers lost space in the final stretch. Gabriel Jesus, for example, became a reserve with the growth of Kai Havertz. Arteta admitted that the situation causes discomfort in the number 9, who has even been speculated to change clubs. However, he defended his ideas for putting together the team.
“They (Jesus and Martinelli) are happy with where we are as a team, but of course everyone here wants to play more. But they are decisions, things that I feel at every moment. Both were super important in the season. And that’s life: When he gets the chance, he has to speak and show it on the pitch”, said Arteta.
“He (Jesus) played a lot here. With me he played a lot. And it has been very important. But he suffered an injury, which lost the moment, the team got into gear and we have to respect that. But that is part of it, the moment will come when will gain more space and will be important again”.
Where to watch Manchester United vs Arsenal
With a legion of Brazilians, Arsenal will face Manchester United on Sunday (12), at 12:30 pm (Brasília time). The match will have broadcast by ESPN on Star+.
