Pep Guardiola mentored Mikel Arteta in management after his playing career, and the Arsenal manager has revealed he always idolised his fellow Spaniard, even when he was young.
Arteta was a product of the Barcelona academy, which also groomed Pep as a player and manager. Arteta was a youngster when Pep played, and he has revealed the Manchester City manager was exemplary even as a player.
He tells Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports: We met when I was 15-years-old. He was my idol, he was the one to emulate if I wanted to be a first-team player at Barcelona, and we built that relationship from there.
‘And then it was weird because when I was still playing and he was the Barcelona manager and Bayern Munich manager he would call me to ask about English teams and how would you play against that, and we built that relationship.
‘And one day it was very clear to me, (Guardiola said) “the day that I’m in England, I have a dream to do what I did in Barcelona in this league when everybody said it is impossible to do, and I would like your help and support and experience to help me to achieve that dream”. That was it.’
Just Arsenal Opinion
Pep is arguably the best manager in the world now, and working with him at City undoubtedly shaped Arteta’s managerial career.
The ex-midfielder will hope he can also win as many trophies as his mentor has won as a manager.
His Arsenal team looks unbeatable, and if they win the league, it will be the start of something unique and a solid career.
For now, he must continue to work hard and stay humble until he wins a major trophy, and it is exciting to see him and Pep fighting for the EPL title this season.
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