Artetta’s childhood memory by his teacher, Jose Luis Mendilibar, who comes to life in Emirates

Avriani (01/10) European clash between Arsenal and Olympic It’s not just a battle at the top level. It is also a personal story, a moving reunification Two Spanish coaches, associated with the first steps of one in football.

THE Michael ArtetaArsenal technician, did not hide his excitement at a press conference at Sobha Realty Training Center when he talked about Jose Luis Medilibarcoach of Olympiacos: “They have a very good team and an excellent coach, which I have known since I was 13 years old, because he was my coach at that time. I know how it works, how effective it is. That’s why I say tomorrow will be a very difficult game”

Their relationship starts with Academy of Athletic Bilbaowhere the young Artetas trained four times a week under Mendilibar’s instructions. Although he soon moved to the Barcelona Academy, He never forgot his first mentor.

The issue of their reunion and their tomorrow’s handshake at Emirates did not go unnoticed. Everything else. It even became Separate theme on Arsenal’s official websitehighlighting the importance of their relationship and the human element behind the big showdown!

When Arteta was asked who would like to get from Olympiacos to Arsenal, his answer was disarming: “The mendilibar“!

This answer quickly reached the ears of the coach of Olympiacos, who retaliated with emotion: “Thanks Michel. He knows that I love him, I was a coach when he was a little kid. Thank him”

Tomorrow’s meeting of the two in the grass will be a moment full of memory, respect and common football history. For Arta, Olympiacos awakens memories not only from his childhood but also from his first European challenge as a coach, when Arsenal was excluded by the “reds” in 2020.

“It was a lot to manage. I joined a huge club in the middle of the season, without ever training a team. And then, everything that happened in the club, Covid, isolation from players and staff for almost two years. It was difficult but I learned a lot and I believe it made us all better”

Tomorrow, at Emirates, there will not only clash two teams. They will meet two football routes that started together, lost for years, and now they are reunited at the top of the European scene.