Mikel Arteta has opened up on his admiration for Luis Enrique as Arsenal prepare to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Arsenal host the French champions in a huge showdown at the Emirates on Tuesday night, in a managerial clash between Arteta and compatriot Enrique.
Arteta came through the youth ranks at Barcelona at a time when Enrique was a first-team star for the Catalans and has watched on as the latter has had huge success in his coaching career.
Enrique led Barcelona to a La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey treble in 2014/15 and won a treble of trophies during his debut season at PSG in 2023/24.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Arteta said he is full of admiration for Enrique who has left ‘his fingerprints’ on all the teams he has coached.
“I am an admirer of him. An unbelievable personality. Huge character, huge energy He is very supportive of young players always.
“What I love about him is whatever he has been, as a player or a manager, his fingerprints are everywhere. You can sense that that is his team. The way the players behave, the way they want to attack, they want to dominate teams. The spirit and energy they have. He has this unbelievable power.
“His approach to life and his profession. It is something to really look at and I have learned a lot of things from him.”
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