Mikel Arteta revealed that he found out Arsenal had won the Premier League while having a BBQ in his garden because he couldn’t bear to watch Manchester City’s game against Bournemouth.
The Gunners squad were at their London Colney base on Tuesday night watching City drop points, which confirmed Arsenal as champions after a 22-year drought.
Yet Arteta left and dashed home 20 minutes before the match started because his ‘energy’ didn’t feel right. It was left to his teenage son Gabriel, who plays for the Arsenal Under 18s, to break the news.
‘It’s one of the best feeling I’ve ever had (winning the league),’ said Arteta.
‘I was supposed to be here with the players, and certain staff, because that’s what they wanted. But I couldn’t. Twenty minutes before the game, I had to leave, I couldn’t bring the energy that I wanted.
Mikel Arteta joined Arsenal’s stars at Tape nightclub after missing the Man City game
Arteta was at home cooking a barbecue when his son shouted: ‘We’re champions Daddy’
‘I went home, went outside to the garden, started to build some fire and started to do some barbecue. I didn’t watch any of it.
‘I was just hearing noises in the background and the living room, then the magic happened.
‘My oldest son opened the garden door, ran towards me, started to cry, gave me a hug and said “We’re champions Daddy”. My other two boys and my wife came over and it was beautiful to see the joy on them, they are always with me.
‘It was magical. A minute later Martin Odegaard was with the video: “Where are you? Come over”.
‘I said: “Enjoy it. See you in a few hours, somewhere in London”.’
The mental struggle of finishing league runners-up for three consecutive seasons at Arsenal even left Arteta questioning whether he was good enough to help the north London club lift silverware.
‘I think the start was tough because I think when you build the club, the team into a zone where the only thing that is left is to win it and then the margin is so small, especially with our competitors,’ he said.
Meanwhile Arsenal’s players were watching together and celebrating at their training ground
‘(From there) it’s to see can the team handle that kind of pressure from the beginning because we remember the conversation at the press conference in September and October: “If you guys don’t win, the league is over”, and it’s still eight or nine months to play.
‘So to play with that (on your) back constantly is not easy, and that’s probably been one of the toughest moments.
‘We showed a very important value not only in sport but in life as well, which is perseverance.
‘That is to be resilient, to be composed in moments when people are doubting, to be vulnerable because I’ve asked that question to myself: “Am I good enough to lead this team, this club, these players to win a major trophy?”
‘Until you don’t do it, you cannot validate yourself. And I thought about many ways. What is the best way to do it? We have to bring people from outside and speakers to inspire them (players). And then you have to find your own way.
‘But the big lesson here is stay humble, stay curious and focus on the point and what you want to achieve.’
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard video called Arteta after they were confirmed as champions
On which moments that made him realise Arsenal could win the title, Arteta said: ‘’One of the main ones was a meeting we had here next to the (olive) tree, when I got all the players together, and told them look at the squad we’ve built over the summer. We are capable of everything, but that depends on us and behaviours daily, to give the best for the team.
‘Once they realised that. We went to a different level.’
Arteta rang Cherries manager Andoni Iraola on Wednesday, who is leaving Bournemouth this summer, to thank him for beating City.
He added: ‘I didn’t message him. I called him yesterday! First of all to congratulate him for the incredible job he’s done with Bournemouth. I said, “You almost took the Premier League away from us and now you’ve helped us to win it on the last day”.
‘A quick call to say thank you as well to show my admiration towards him and wish him the best in the next chapter of his career which I’m sure is going to be very, very successful.’
