The three things that made Ronaldinho unique were disclosed by Arteta.
When you live with Ronaldinho, it’s important to remember this.
After being sent out on an 18-month loan from Barcelona’s renowned La Masia program, Mikel Arteta, at 18 years old, arrived in Paris Saint-Germain alone and “terrified” in January 2001.
5Mikel Arteta has lifted the lid on sharing a room at PSG with RonaldinhoCredit: Offside/PRESSE SPORTS
5The Arsenal boss is looking to get the better of his old side in the Champions LeagueCredit: GettyMauricio Pochettino, Arteta’s buddy and mentor who initially encouraged him to pursue management, mentored him on the pitch during his first experience playing men’s senior football.
In the summer of 2001, Arteta’s eyes were introduced to the beautiful game by Ronaldinho, a 21-year-old Brazilian signing who was now the manager of Arsenal.
When Arteta plays the Paris giants on Tuesday for the first time as a manager after more than 20 years, he can’t help but smile as he remembers what it was like to live in the same room as a football great who was renowned for his off-field partying and on-field antics and flair.
When asked about Ronaldinho’s flatmate qualities, Arteta smiled and said, “With me, he was always perfect.”
“We shared a room for a full year. He was excellent. It was all good, so full of energy and fun. Never an issue. Wonderful times.
Naturally, I did not consider him to be a superstar at the time. However, he had immense talent.
He arrived from Brazil. He had to wait for a few months because he lacked the necessary work visa.
A young Arteta was desperate to stay in Paris beyond his loan spell, only to be recalled by Barcelona and sold to Scottish giants Rangers in 2002 before arriving in England — via Real Sociedad — with Everton two-and-a-half years later.
Ronaldinho’s stay at the Parc des Princes was also short but sweet, leaving for Barca in 2003 where he won the Ballon d’Or, two LaLiga titles and the Champions League across five years.
Arteta continued: “He’s the only player I have seen in history that could transform, by himself, two clubs. He did it in Paris, he transformed them. He went to Barcelona in one of the worst moments and transformed them.
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5Ronaldinho went on to become a Barcelona and Brazil iconCredit: Getty
Arteta also played with Bolton legend Jay-Jay Okocha at PSG Credit: Getty
“Being next him made it hard to be unhappy; he exuded positivity, vitality, and a smile.
And I’ve never seen a skill like this in training. Every exercise left me wondering, “How is this possible?”
Playing with him was amazing. I was up against Ronaldinho and Jay-Jay Okocha, so I had to do all the defending. Just think!
It was amazing—almost unbelievable. For me, it was a dream.
“I had a lot of energy and felt quite fortunate at that time. I relished every second of that chance and could not have wasted it.
In addition, Arteta shares a lot of similarities with current PSG manager and former Barcelona player Luis Enrique, 54, with whom he has a close friendship.
However, Arteta, 42, acknowledges that growing up in the “ideal environment” and being “protected like a son” in Paris helped shape him into the manager and man he is today.
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He made his Champions League debut at the San Siro against AC Milan in a 1-1 tie one month after signing on as an unidentified youngster.
“I was in the tunnel, I was looking,” Arteta recalled, referring to the former owner of Milan Silvio Berlusconi, Paolo Maldini, and Andrei Shevchenko.
“I looked, and they were all like this,” he says, raising his hand. I thought, “Really?” In Rome, I was cast among the lions.
But as it happened, it was a great contest that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was an incredible evening.
After their opening Champions League match ended in a 0-0 tie at Atalanta last month, Arteta is looking for another one of those nights at the Emirates.
After a 1-0 second-leg loss at the Allianz Arena on April 17, Arsenal was eliminated by Bayern Munich from the quarterfinals of the previous season.
Their hopes of winning the title had been dashed three days earlier by a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa.
In front of yet another demanding championship race and European run, Arteta remarked, “We nearly made it all last year.” We need to prove that we are better because we did not do well enough. As a team, we must decide what to do next.
Ben White (groin) and Riccardo Calafiori (knee) of the Gunners will have late fitness tests.