With the end of the season presenting an opportunity for our manager to spend some time away with his family, Mikel Arteta was asked all about what he’d be up to in his time off during a recent fan Q&A.
Supporters from around the world sent in questions, and you can see everything he had to say in response below.
As part of the recent Premier League World TV feature, Mikel was asked….
What will you be doing in the holidays that is not football related?
“I will be heading to Spain first and spending some time with my family. We’ve organised already a few birthday parties because I have three boys and the three of them are born from June, so we already have three big birthday parties organised. A lot of family are coming, friends as well, so we’re going to gather together. That’s part of the plan, then we’ll go abroad for a week like we always do, somewhere quiet that we can be the five of us together, spend some time on privacy.
“The little one, at the moment when we go on holidays, he goes on my shoulders and doesn’t want to leave me alone for the whole holiday! The other two are a bit older but very active. We’re planning a lot of sports, hiking, and obviously the connection with the sun and the water. I love it during the summer, so I take the opportunity to do that.”
"I would love to be able to freeze moments, pause, look around and enjoy the present"
What movie has had a big impact on you and why?
“One of my favourites is Gladiator. It touches me, it moves me, there is history. There is a story there that relates a lot of the values and the things that I try to encourage my family to do.”
How do you maintain your mental wellbeing and what strategies do you utilise to bounce back from a setback?
“First of all it is my family. I feel so proud of the family that we have created, of the parents that I have, the friends that I have, and the way I’ve been raised. That gives me tranquility, that gives me freedom because I can be myself, and I feel protected. That’s why it gives me stability. There are a lot of things in our lives, and especially in this profession, that can alter quickly your emotional state, the way you think, the way you feel. But I always go back to ‘I do what I do because I love it’. It’s my passion. Something that is my passion cannot put in danger my health, my emotional state or my family. I will never allow that to happen.”
What is your favourite food that you cook at home, and is there a favourite cuisine that you love?
“For me to cook, the things that I enjoy the most are barbecues. I love it because at the end it’s not just cooking whatever you’re going to cook in the barbecue, it’s about the moment and sharing that moment. As for cuisine, many, but I love Japanese food.”
If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
“I’m going to go for two! One would be the capacity to heal people. That would be for sure the one. If I could keep everybody safe and healthy and I had the power to do that, there’s nothing better to do in life. The second one, if I could freeze moments and pause, look around and enjoy the present moment, because things go that fast and in this society everything is 100mph. It would be great to say ‘stop’ in this moment and read your body language, how we’re feeling about this, what we’re doing, and say ‘okay, now I’m ready to go to the next one.’
“We’ve just seen supporters from all these different parts of the world and, when you look at their smiles, they all have the Arsenal shirt, it’s the capacity that football has - to unite and connect people around the world with one passion - a football club, a player or something that makes you feel in a special way. It’s just fascinating.”
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