Despite winning the Premier League title and recently extending his contract until 2030, Mikel Arteta is still haunted by the painful memory of his last Champions League final. Beaten by PSG on penalties, the Arsenal manager admits he has yet to recover from that defeat. However, he intends to turn his frustration into motivation for the future.
Mikel Arteta may have brought Arsenal back to the top of English football, but one defeat continues to haunt him. Crowned Premier League champions last season, ending a 22-year wait, the Gunners came agonisingly close to completing a historic double. However, Paris Saint-Germain had the final say in the Champions League final. After a 1-1 draw, the Parisians won the penalty shootout 4-3, denying Arsenal their first-ever title in Europe’s elite club competition. It was a heartbreaking outcome that the Spanish coach has never forgotten.
Arteta: “I Still Have That Poison in My Veins”
In an extensive interview with The Athletic, Mikel Arteta reflected on the Champions League final defeat against PSG. Several months after that disappointment, the pain remains as strong as ever. “I still have that scar, as Arsène (Wenger) says. I still have that poison in my veins. It has to stay there because that’s how you learn, and it will probably be a tremendous driving force for me and for everyone,” the Arsenal manager admitted.
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Those powerful words highlight just how deeply the defeat affected the Spanish coach. Rather than trying to forget the disappointment, Arteta wants to use it to push his team to another level. Having recently signed a contract extension until 2030, he now has the time and backing to continue building his project at Arsenal. After reclaiming the Premier League crown, his next major ambition will undoubtedly be to lift the Champions League trophy.
But to achieve that dream, the Gunners may once again have to overcome PSG, the reigning back-to-back European champions and strong contenders to retain their crown. Another meeting between the two clubs would carry special significance for Arteta and his players. Arsenal may have returned to the summit of English football, but it was Paris who stood between them and European glory. And judging by his latest comments, the Spanish manager will not be forgetting that defeat anytime soon.\
