Managerial Career
After retiring, Arteta became the assistant manager to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. He took over as the manager of Arsenal in 2019, leading the team to significant improvements in performance and tactical cohesion.
| Occupation | Football Coach |
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| Date of Birth | 26 March 1982 |
| Age | 43 Years |
| Birth Place | San Sebastián, Spain |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Country | Spain |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Although specific details on his height and weight are not widely discussed, Arteta stands at approximately 176 cm (5 ft 9 in), which is typical for a midfielder of his stature.
| Height | 1.75 m |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Mikel Arteta is married to Lorena Bernal, a Spanish model and actress. The couple has been together since 2002 and has three children together.
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Mikel Arteta's net worth is estimated at around $25 million (£20 million), combining earnings from his playing days and managerial contracts. His current annual salary at Arsenal is approximately $16.8 million, making him one of the highest-paid managers in the Premier League.
Business and Investments
While specific business investments are not widely detailed, Arteta's financial success is attributed to his managerial salary and likely endorsement deals, given his high profile in football.
Arteta began his senior club career at Barcelona in 1999, but limited playing time led to a loan move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2001, where he won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in his second season. Arteta joined Rangers in 2002 for £6 million and won the league and league cup in his debut season, scoring a decisive 93rd-minute penalty on the final day. After a brief return to hometown club Real Sociedad, Arteta signed for Everton in 2005 and was named the club's Player of the Season twice. He joined Arsenal in 2011 for £10 million and won two FA Cups before retiring in 2016. Arteta represented Spain through several youth levels but never played for the senior national team.
Born in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Arteta began his football career at Antiguoko and befriended fellow midfielder Xabi Alonso as they played together every weekend. The two often played along the beaches and gutters of San Sebastián and dreamed of playing together at Real Sociedad. Arteta left San Sebastián aged 15 in July 1997, with Antiguoko teammates Jon Alvarez and Mikel Yanguas, to trial with Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia. The trio played three trial games and all earned professional contracts with the club. Housed in dormitories, the academy lifestyle was notoriously strict and Arteta's Antiguoko teammates would leave the academy shortly after arrival. It was in these dormitories where Arteta would become room-mates and friends with Barca legends Víctor Valdés and Andrés Iniesta as teenagers. He would also make friends with budding club legend Xavi Hernandez during his tenure at La Masia. Arteta met then-Barcelona captain and his future coaching mentor Pep Guardiola during this time, while learning the practices of their then-head coach Louis van Gaal.
Arteta trained regularly with Van Gaal's first team but was limited only to appearances in Spain's Segunda División B with Barcelona B. Following Van Gaal's departure from the club on 20 May 2000, incoming coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer brought Emmanuel Petit and Gerard Lopez into Barcelona's midfield, pushing Arteta further back into a queue which already included Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Phillip Cocu, Iván de la Peña, Xavi and Iniesta. La Masia teammate Jofre Mateu believed that Arteta wouldn't make it at Barcelona purely because of his competition, explaining in 2023, "Everyone knew he had a chance because of his quality but Xavi was extraordinary and Iniesta could play every position. I wasn't expecting him to be a Barcelona star because of the others." With administrative changes in La Masia during the 2000−01 season, Arteta and a number of his club mates quickly learnt that their futures were no longer with Barcelona.
Arteta signed for Scottish club Rangers in March 2002 in a £6 million transfer deal. He enjoyed a successful first season in Glasgow and quickly established himself as a first-team regular. Highlights were scoring on his Old Firm debut, and converting a late penalty on the final day of the 2002–03 season, which proved vital for goal difference as Rangers completed the domestic treble of the Scottish Premier League title, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup. Arteta was injured shortly before the 2003 Scottish Cup final and missed the match.
Arteta was believed to be in Spain's squad in February 2009 but a cruciate knee ligament injury meant his name was removed from the list before the squad was announced. Often noted to be one of the best players in modern times to be omitted a senior international cap, Arteta played at a time when Spain had several enormously high quality players available in his position, such as Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fàbregas, Marcos Senna, Sergio Busquets, Santi Cazorla and David Silva.
Arteta initially started out playing as a number 10 in the Barcelona youth system, and was later shifted to the position of a "pivot" or defensive midfielder, as he was thought to be a player in the mould of Pep Guardiola. He was rated as the sixth most effective player in the Premier League in 2006–07 by the official player ratings system the Actim Index. Arteta returned to his original deeper midfield role at Arsenal. in which he excelled as his team's playmaker, due to his technique, skill, vision, passing, awareness, and tactical intelligence. His total of 12 league assists in the 2006–07 season was third to Cesc Fàbregas and Cristiano Ronaldo. With 100 fouls committed against him in the same season, he was the most fouled player in the Premier League.
On 18 July 2020, Arsenal beat Arteta's former employer Manchester City 2–0 in the FA Cup semi-final, leading Arsenal to their fourth FA Cup final in seven years, and Arteta's first in charge. Arsenal went on to win the final 2–1 over Chelsea for a record 14th victory, making Arteta the first person to win the FA Cup as both captain and coach of Arsenal. Moreover, he became the first head coach or manager to win a major trophy in his first season in charge of the club since George Graham in 1986–87.
On 23 January 2021, Arteta had his first defeat in the FA Cup in his managerial career as Arsenal was knocked out by Southampton in the fourth round, unable to defend the title. On 14 March 2021, Arteta claimed his first victory in the North London derby as a manager thanks to goals from Martin Ødegaard and Alexandre Lacazette in a 2–1 win. That was also Arsenal's first victory over Tottenham since December 2018. In the Europa League, he led Arsenal to the semi-finals, in which they lost 2–1 on aggregate to Unai Emery's Villarreal. Later on, Arsenal finished 8th in the Premier League, and the 25-year run of participating in European competitions came to an end.
In July 2021, set-piece coach Nicolas Jover joined Arteta's coaching team, replacing Andreas Georgson who had departed the club. On 13 August, Arsenal started their season with a 2–0 loss to newly promoted Brentford, followed by losses to Chelsea and Manchester City which left the club bottom of the league without a point or a goal, and left Arteta in a precarious position going into the international break. Arsenal resisted calls from supporters for Arteta to be sacked, and the club duly went on to win all their league games in September, leading to Arteta receiving his first manager of the month award. On 1 April 2022, Arteta received his second Manager of the Month award and on 6 May extended his contract to the end of the 2024–25 season. Having sat in fourth place throughout much of the second half of the campaign, successive defeats away at both Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in the closing weeks of the season saw Arsenal slip to 5th in the final table, and having to settle for a campaign in the UEFA Europa League for the following season.
By 20 May, Arsenal could no longer mathematically win the title after consecutive losses to Brighton and Nottingham Forest, finishing in second-place and handing the title to Manchester City, being crowned Premier League champions for the third consecutive season before completing the continental treble. The team's second-place finish meant Arteta was the first manager since Arsène Wenger six years earlier to guide Arsenal to a Champions League qualification spot, and was the highest position Arsenal had finished in since being league runners-up in 2015–16.
Social Network
Mikel Arteta maintains a low public profile on social media, focusing more on his professional life than personal online presence.
Upon departing Everton, Arteta said "I am 29 years old so I haven't got much time left to take a chance like this one. I have done my best for Everton." A few weeks later, he stated that the spirit in Everton's dressing room is the 'best in football'.
Education
There is limited information available on Arteta's formal education beyond his football career. His success in football is largely attributed to his practical experience and training in the sport.
Mikel Arteta's career is marked by his transition from a skilled player to a respected manager, with a strong financial foundation that reflects his success in the football world. His current role at Arsenal and his financial status position him among the most influential figures in global football.
Arteta suffered a stomach injury in the second half of the season, and shortly before the final game of the campaign, he underwent surgery to rectify the problem. He scored his first goal of the 2008–09 season in the Premier League opener versus Blackburn Rovers with a free kick. He was named captain for a 2–2 draw with Newcastle United, scoring a penalty in the game. In February, Arteta was carried off on a stretcher in a 0–0 draw with Newcastle having injured a ligament in his knee, days after his first inclusion in the Spain national team squad. The injury kept him out for the rest of the 2008–09 season and the first five months of 2009–10. Over the course of the season, Arteta began to play in the centre of the field again, usually being partnered with a defensive midfielder. This gave him the freedom to dictate the tempo of the game and connect with Pienaar and Osman on the wing.
