Mikel Arteta chose his five favorite players from previous teams for a 5-a-side game. He had played for major clubs such as Barcelona and Arsenal before becoming a coach. Picking just five players was difficult, but Arteta chose some intriguing ones, including one that may surprise people.
Mikel Arteta picks his 5-a-side team
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta shared his fantasy five-a-side team, choosing famous players he played with during his career. He included Thierry Henry, a legend from his time at Arsenal. Arteta talked about his experiences playing with great players at different clubs. He started at Barcelona with Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez. Then he went to PSG, where he played with Ronaldinho, Jay-Jay Okocha, Nicolas Anelka, and now-PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino. He also mentioned Frank de Boer from his time at Rangers.
“Ronaldinho has to be there. I never saw anything like it, he was 19 or 20-years-old at that time and I never seen anybody do the the kind of things he could do with the ball at that pace,” Arteta said.
“Thierry Henry has to be there that’s for sure. Iniesta has to be there. Arsenal I would put Robin van Persie there because he was in his best prime when we were teammates. I’m going to put Pepe Reina (in goal),” he added.
🗣️#Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on his dream five-a-side team: ‘Ronaldinho has to be there.I never saw anything like it, he was 19 or 20-years-old at that time and I never seen anybody do the the kind of things he could do with the ball at that pace.
‘Thierry Henry has to be there… pic.twitter.com/LGilAn1ne3
— Arsenal News Channel (@Arsenalnewschan) March 3, 2024
The controversial name here is Van Persie. He used to be a big player for Arsenal but then he went to play for Manchester United. When he left, many Arsenal fans got angry and still haven’t forgiven him. Some people might be surprised that Arteta still respects him a lot.
Even though Van Persie played for Arsenal for eight years, he had his best seasons in the last two years, scoring lots of goals. In 2011/12, he scored 37 goals in 48 games. But even though some people were angry, Van Persie’s time at Arsenal is still remembered for his great performances on the field.
