Mikel Arteta now names Thierry Henry and one other former Arsenal teammate in dream team

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Mikel Arteta recently picked Thierry Henry and one other former Arsenal teammate in his dream five-a-side team. 

In his time at Arsenal and at other clubs, Mikel Arteta played alongside some of the modern greats of the game. 

The Spaniard came through Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy system, alongside the likes of Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez. He then spent time at PSG, featuring in a team that included Ronaldinho, Jay-Jay Okocha, Nicolas Anelka, and Mauricio Pochettino. He then played with Frank de Boer at Rangers.

Arteta was in Everton teams that featured Premier League stalwarts, such as Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines, amongst others, before he signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2011. In his playing days at the Emirates Stadium, the former midfielder shared the pitch with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, and Alexis Sanchez, amongst many other club icons of the late Arsene Wenger era.

One of his former Arsenal teammates, Theo Walcott, has recently discussed what Arteta was like in the dressing room. The Spanish coach has now reflected upon his own playing days, and some of the most talented individuals he shared a dressing room with.

Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie named in Mikel Arteta’s top five

Speaking to Stadium Astro, Arteta was asked to pick his own dream five-a-side team made up of his own former colleagues. The Gunners’ boss selected Ronaldinho, Iniesta, and Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina. From his former Arsenal teammates, legendary striker Thierry Henry made the cut, as did Dutch forward Robin van Persie.

Henry, of course, is an obvious inclusion. The French icon is Arsenal’s all-time leading goalscorer, has been immortalised in statue form outside the Emirates Stadium, and is arguably the greatest player ever to have worn the famous red and white shirt.

Van Persie, though, is a slightly more surprising inclusion. The striker spent eight years at Arsenal, but only really flourished into an elite-level goalscorer in his final two seasons at the club. In the 2011/12 campaign, his final one at Arsenal, he scored an astonishing 37 goals in 48 games, across all competitions.

Van Persie’s legacy at Arsenal, though, was then soured for many when he made the controversial move to join Manchester United. He fired the Red Devils to a Premier League title triumph in his first season at Old Trafford.