Arsenal's Mikel Arteta primed for reunion with Paris Saint-Germain

09/30/2024 05:30 PM

Gunners manager prepares for a glamour Champions League tie, facing the club where he broke through on loan in 2001-02

Mikel Arteta fun fact: when the Arsenal manager was a young player at Paris Saint-Germain, his roommate on hotel stays was Ronaldinho. And it is certainly fun to imagine how that went given Ronaldinho's well-earned reputation as a party prince. Did they have the same bedtimes? "With me, he was always perfect," Arteta says, with a smile.

Sadly, Arteta was not asked to detail his top five nights out with the Brazilian. But as Arsenal prepared to host PSG in Tuesday's glamour Champions League tie, Arteta's eyes sparkled as he recalled the period that made his career; the people and the places, the thrilling sense of possibility. He had spent plenty of his press conference last week trying to deal with the fallout from the fiery 2-2 draw at Manchester City. Here the vibes were only positive.