Mikel Arteta has officially announced his retirement as a player, and says that he now has a decision to make about the next step in his career.
The Spaniard played one last time for Arsenal in emotional scenes yesterday, and has since decided to hang up his boots, feeling that he wasn’t able to contribute as well as he wanted to as a player.
“You have to be honest with yourself,” he said. “For me, the standards you need to play for this club – it cannot be eight out of 10. It has to be 10 out of 10. When you cannot deliver that, it is not good enough. Sometimes, people get away with it. Inside myself, my gut wasn’t clean and, when you are like this, I prefer to make the decision myself.”
The captain was brutally honest about his final season at the club.
“I haven’t been upset with the manager, I have been upset with myself,” he said.
“When you can’t get it right and you have been through injuries and difficult moments at this level. For me, to play at this club, you have to be the best in your position. When you lose that, I think you should be away from this place.
“I have probably been here too long. In the last few months, I probably didn’t deserve to be here but at least I got the chance [against Villa] to stay in touch with them and it has been amazing.
“When you stop for months and you come back, you try everything, and I worked so hard to get back but then you do it again and again and again. You disappoint yourself and other people at the club, the manager, everybody. You don’t know how to get it right.
“It was my ankle first, which I couldn’t get right, and that was affecting my calf. I was always having calf injuries out of nothing. I was fine and then it was really frustrating. In the last three months, I trained like I did years ago.
“I felt really good and the players were telling me: ‘Micky, you are crazy – how the hell are you going to stop? You can play for two or three years. OK, maybe not here but somewhere else.’ But it was my gut feeling.”
It’s widely believed that he will join Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at Man City next season, despite there is an offer from Arsenal to join the coaching staff at some level but not first team.
However, after five years working with Arsene Wenger and knowing his methods, it would be a fantastic education to go and work with a coach as accomplished and interesting as Guardiola.
The pair have a relationship from their time at Barcelona also, and as part of developing his skills to become a manager at some point in the future, nobody could begrudge him that chance.
And when he returns to manage the club as a Wenger/Guardiola hybrid, a Wengiola if you will, we might well be glad of that.
Pure class
An Arsenal captain worthy of the job.
At last Tony Adams successor.
All the captains since have been better players, maybe even better leaders but none have been as humble and as mr arsenal as Arteta.
lets hope the next one lives up to the spirit of this one.
Nice chap, but can’t be mentioned in the same breath as Tone.
Paddy wasn’t too shabby as captain.
When he did not stop those Madrid rumours? Vieira was a fine player but not a good captain.
My thoughts exactly
It is better to learn from different coaches and learn all their secrets and deploy those methods at Arsenal
His gut isnt clean? Whats the Spanish for Colonic Irrigation?
El Colonico Irrigatio obviously 🙂
lasaña
“When people think Arsenal had a bad season and we’ve had a good one, yet they still finish above us, it hurts.” – Harry Kane
Whenever Arsenal upset me, I’m just going to track down this quote and all will be right with the world again.
Let’s not sully Mikel’s story with this talk of H*rry cunting K*ne!
Great quote for a bit of perspective. Even when we’re not at our best, were still better than Sp*rs at their best.
hahahahahhahhahahahhahahha
I have to say I did get a lump in my throat watching him tear up for his interview on Arsenal.com.
The guy just loves his football, and it pains me that I had negative thoughts about him staying last summer. The dude was just desperate to sign off well.
Good luck for the future Mikel, whatever you decide to do. Adios amigo.
He represents what most fans feel they would be like as an Arsenal player had they (the fans) been players as well in my opinion. Such a class player, leader, and man. You don’t have to look very far to see quotes from youngsters like Bellerin singing his praises as a mentor. Seeing him at City would be bittersweet knowing he’s learning from a close friend/mentor, but improving a rival at the same time. As Blogs said, though, I wouldn’t begrudge him anything.
Thanks for the memories, Mikel (the screamer against City in 2011/2012 especially!).
I love Arteta
Man of honour…
Just want to share a tale of two captains: When the Arsenal needed Fabregas to stay to steady the ship, he chose to run away to Barcelona on the pretext of “going home”. And when the going got tough, he didn’t stay to fight for his place back “home” at a club that “meant everything” to him. He tried to come back, again running away and trying to take an easy way out. This is an unpopular opinion but I’m glad we didn’t take him back. Mikel Arteta allegedly (I say allegedly because I don’t know this for a fact)… Read more »
I sensed that Arteta, on seeing the state of play on his arrival, sacrificed the attacking side of his game to hold the ship steady. Sorry to see him go because he’s a mensch and we’re not overburdened with them these days.
Aside from his playing experience and tactical knowledge of the game, Pep’s primary motivation for bringing Mikel to the club is his promise to bring his hair back to life.
He’ll be missed and we’ll need others to step as leaders around the club as well as on the pitch. Must say I had a smile on my face that Wilshere had the cojones to have a real pop at Sanchez when we didn’t pass it to him yesterday. Something we need more of in general is the team holding each other to account. Sanchez in particular has been guilty this season of overplaying it so good to Jack stepping up.
“I have probably been here too long. In the last few months, I probably didn’t deserve to be here but at least I got the chance [against Villa] to stay in touch with them and it has been amazing.”
This quote made me so sad because it’s so honest, I mean, how many professional dares to admit that? And it’s not just in football.
So much more than a captain.
HE was brought in by Wenger to steady the ship when Wenger realised his economy Denilson era team lacked youth.
Unfortunately the rebuild was complicated by key departures for the next 3 seasons.
Along with Metersecker, Arteta was part of the slow rebuild that added experience in all positions recently completed by the addition of Cech.
Best wishes to Arteta. A fantastic captain.
arteta had my respect before but even more so now,admitting he was no longer good enough to play for arsenal,loved it when he said some players overstay,sticking around&getting away with it but he couldn,t do it himself, that players at arsenal have to be a 10/10 and not an 8/10,im hoping some of them were listening!!even though i,d like him to stay with the club in a coaching position good luck to him even if it,s away from us,thank you MIKEL!!also why didn,t we see flamini say his goodbyes??
There are always players, men following their boyhood dreams, men giving everything they can for themselves, their family, their club, their teammates and for the manager who placed his trust and spent big money to bring them in. Men who deserve your support whether they get injured, have a bad stretch or just grow old. Mikel Arteta earned everything he got and more. Cheers Mikel
I like the idea of Agent Arteta going undercover to learn Pep’s secrets. Surely combining Wenger and Guardiola tactics would produce the first team to have 100% possession in every game.
As long as Arteta doesn’t adopt Pep’s hairdo
So are we getting shot of the idea of a Patrick/Thierry/Dennis managing combo? Or maybe it’s becoming a coaching quartet.
At long last a captain that left the way a captain should..
#Proud!
I was so glad he got to play on Sunday and we gave him a good send off. He was a good leader and captain and i found it a bit gut wrenching to see his tears. Onwards and upwards buddy. Make sure you come back soon.
Mikel Confidential: Story of Arsenal’s second unbeaten season. I know…I know