About this episode
A BBC World Service documentary revealing the untold stories behind Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s journey to the top. In Barcelona, former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina relives his time sharing bunk beds with Arteta at the world-famous La Masia academy, declaring that the boy from the Basque country was “born to be a manager”. Presenter John Bennett travels to Arteta’s home town of San Sebastian to meet his childhood coach at a small club, next to a hair salon, that has become an amazing football talent factory. Hear from former teammates at Everton, Arsenal and Rangers, from where Dutch great Ronald de Boer remembers Arteta stepping up aged 21 to score a stoppage-time penalty to snatch the title from Glasgow rivals Celtic: “To take that responsibility, at such a young age, in such an important game and moment of that decisive title race against Celtic was impressive.” And find out why the Welsh city of Newport played such an important part in Arteta’s journey into coaching. Arsenal legend Arsène Wenger and former Man City captain Vincent Kompany also feature in this documentary, which paints a picture of a single-minded, intelligent and meticulous man, schooled in the Barcelona style of play, who is now mixing it with the top managers in the game and has got Arsenal fans dreaming of glory once again.