Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has expressed some gratitude to Pep Guardiola after the Gunners defeated holders Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night to reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Arteta worked under fellow Spaniard Guardiola at Manchester City before taking the reins at Arsenal in 2019.
He hailed the victory as one of the best nights of his career and revealed he had a chat with Guardiola on the morning of the second leg before Arsenal claimed a 5-1 aggregate victory.
“I called him because if I am here, it is thanks to him to a great extent,” Arteta told reporters after Wednesday’s clash.
He worked as Guardiola’s assistant at City from 2016 to 2019, when the club won two English Premier League titles.
“He has been a big inspiration to me. I lived four amazing years with him and I will always be grateful to him. Without him, I wouldn’t be here,” Arteta added.
On Wednesday, Bukayo Saka’s second-half strike was cancelled out by Vinicius Junior in the 67th minute before Gabriel Martinelli sealed the win with a stoppage-time goal.
Arsenal are in the Champions League semi-finals for the third time, and the first since 2009.
“Our team is very hungry and we want to keep on doing great things … we want to keep playing at semi-finals. We will have to go through tough times if we want to continue playing at this stage but we also have to enjoy it,” Arteta added.
“The first thing I thought when the game finished was of my wife and my children because they’ve heard all week about what can happen in this stadium. They were here with me and they were proud.”
Arsenal host Paris St-Germain on April 29 in the first leg, aiming for a spot in the final in Munich, having defeated PSG 2-0 at home in the league stage in October.
