Mikel Arteta has never shied away from crediting the people who shaped him, but when he talks about Pep Guardiola, there’s a different kind of warmth: the sort reserved for someone who didn’t just influence your career, but rewired your footballing DNA.
When talking about his past with Sky Sports, the Arsenal boss gave his previous boss — and current Man City manager — Guardiola his flowers.
“When I was 15, he was my hero,” Arteta says.
“He was my hero…” 🦸♂️
Mikel Arteta reveals that Pep Guardiola has been his biggest influence growing up ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Sj4mXs6Fmz
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 18, 2025
For a young impressionable Arteta, Pep wasn’t just a player; he was a blueprint.
Fast-forward a couple of decades, and that
teenage fan ended up sitting next to his idol in the Manchester City dugout.
“We ended up working together and having one of the best times of my life,” Arteta recalls.
“If I’m sitting in the chair I’m sitting in today, it’s thanks to him.”
Arteta didn’t just admire Guardiola’s football; he was drawn to it.
“Probably how attached we were in terms of philosophy, and the way we were educated in Barcelona,” he explains.
Both men grew up in an environment where the ball was sacred, space was currency, and positional play was a religion.
When City came calling, Arteta didn’t hesitate — not even with zero coaching experience — and Guardiola handed him the keys to elite coaching education without asking for a resume, too.
“He gave me the choice — without coaching anybody — to go straight to his staff. One of the best decisions I made in my life.”
And now? Arteta sits in the Arsenal hot seat (and on top of the Premier League table), crafting his own footballing identity.
Perhaps, heroes don’t always stay on posters.
