Mikel Arteta Amatriain is a Spanish professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Premier League club Arsenal. As a manager, he 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. In Merseyside under David Moyes, Arteta grew into a pivotal and influential player, becoming one of the best Premier League midfielders during the 2000s. Arteta won Everton Player of the Season twice and helped the club qualify for European competitions regularly. Signing for Arsenal in 2011 for a reported fee of £10 million, Arteta won two FA Cups under Arsène Wenger 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 in modern times 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.
