Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta reflected on a pivotal moment from his early coaching journey ahead of the FA Community Shield clash against Manchester City. He highlighted the serious injury he suffered at the age of 26 as a defining turning point.
“I spent nearly a year sidelined and wasn’t sure if I could come back. I told myself that I couldn’t live without football. At some point, I decided I wanted to become a coach to try to help players,” the Spanish manager recalled.
Arteta sustained a severe anterior cruciate ligament and knee ligament rupture on February 22, 2009, during an Everton match against Newcastle. The injury occurred just three minutes into the game.
Despite the severity of the injury, Arteta managed to recover and continued his playing career until 2016, including five seasons with Arsenal.
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