Rooming with Ronaldinho, playing with Jay-Jay Okocha and making his Champions League debut aged just 18, it is no wonder Mikel Arteta has such fond memories of his time at Paris Saint-Germain.
Arteta was just a teenager back then, sent out on loan by Barcelona to gain first-team experience, but his 18 months in the French capital had a profound effect.
The first seeds about one day becoming a manager were planted thanks to the way head coach Luis Fernandez trusted him and Arteta also got to play in a star-studded PSG team.
Nicolas Anelka, Okocha and Ronaldinho played ahead of Arteta, with Gabriel Heinze and Mauricio Pochettino among the defenders that swept up behind him.
“I had to do all the defending because I had Ronaldinho and Okocha in front of me,” joked Arteta. “Imagine.
“It was super, almost unreal. It was a dream for me. I was so blessed and I had so much energy at that time. I couldn’t waste that opportunity – I enjoyed every minute of it.
“We (Arteta and Ronaldinho) were roommates for a year-and-a-half. I could not see him like this at the time, obviously, but he was a huge talent.
“He was coming from Brazil. He didn’t have the work permit so he had to wait for a couple of months. But he’s the only player that 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].
“He had an aura, an energy, a smile on his face… it was impossible to be next to him and be in a bad mood. And then I never saw a talent like this. In training, in every drill, it was like: How is this possible?”
PSG was where Arteta came of age and Tuesday’s game with the French champions provides his players with the chance to show how much they have grown since last season.
Arsenal returned to the Champions League last year for the first time in six seasons and they enjoyed a decent run to the quarter-finals.
It was there that they fell at the hands of Bayern Munich, who represented their first real test since returning to Europe’s top table.
The new Champions League format this season means the big games come much quicker for Arsenal, such as the one against PSG.
Arteta can recall his Champions League debut for the French side, which was away at the San Siro against AC Milan, and he compared it to being “thrown to the lions in Rome”.
He survived, as did his players when they made their bows in this competition last season, but now the aim is for Arsenal to thrive and fight with Europe’s best – including PSG.
“The opposition we’re facing is probably at the highest level in European football,” said Arteta. “Honestly it’s a great opportunity to see how we deal with that, how prepared we are and how we can deal with different contexts.
“They (PSG) are really tough. They are an exceptional team. They dominate every phase of play.
“They have a clear intention as to how they want to dominate the ball and when they don’t have it they want it straight back. They are really aggressive and they confront you.”
Arsenal’s players have the chance to show how much they have grown since last season
PSG’s style does not surprise Arteta given that they are coached by Luis Enrique, whom he knows from his time at Barcelona. Enrique was in the first team when Arteta was trying to break through and he helped him during the early part of his career.
“He has an unbelievable personality, huge charisma, huge energy,” said Arteta. “He was always very supportive with the young players and what I love about him is that, whatever he has been as a player, as a manager, his fingerprints are all over the place. You can sense that is his team.”
Given Enrique’s impressive track record, a scalp against him would be a significant feather in Arteta’s cap and likewise for Arsenal.
This may be a PSG side without Kylian Mbappe following his summer move to Real Madrid, nor Ousmane Dembele after he was dropped on Monday by Enrique due to disciplinary reasons, but they remain one of the best sides in Europe.
PSG have aspirations of going all the way in the Champions League this season and the same goes for Arsenal. on Tuesday, Arteta’s side can see how close they are to Europe’s elite.
