In January 2001 Mikel Arteta left Barcelona for Paris St-Germain in a move that would ultimately help transform one of the most intelligent midfielders of his generation into one of the game’s top coaches. It was where he first displayed the leadership qualities that have seen him progress to Arsenal manager and he will welcome PSG to Emirates Stadium on Tuesday in the Champions League. The 18-year-old Arteta, faced with the impossible task of usurping the likes of Pep Guardiola, French World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit, Dutch international Phillip Cocu and Xavi Hernandez in Barcelona’s star-studded midfield, had moved to the French capital on an 18-month loan deal.
PSG were yet to become French football’s dominant force but had progressed to the second group stage of the Champions League and boasted several big names of their own, including Jay-Jay Okocha, Nicolas Anelka and Mauricio Pochettino. A young Brazilian by the name of Ronaldinho would join the club from Gremio later that year. Arteta barely spoke any French, but a small contingent of Spanish speakers helped him settle quickly into life in Ligue 1 and despite his tender years, the teenager made a big impression at the Parc des Princes.
One of the first players to take Arteta under his wing was Pochettino, who the Spaniard has since described as his “big brother” and “football father”. The Argentine, 10 years his senior, also arrived in January 2001 after leaving La Liga side Espanyol and struck up a clos.