Mikel Arteta spent five years as an Arsenal player before he entered management.
The Spaniard was a lovely player. He could play anywhere across the midfield, was technically brilliant and scored some great goals for the Gunners.
Arteta played with a number of brilliant players at the Emirates as well.
The Arsenal manager has now revealed the one teammate who used to crack him up more than anyone else in his career.
Mikel Arteta says Santi Cazorla is the funniest player he has ever played with
Arsenal signed Santi Cazorla from Malaga in the summer of 2012.
The midfielder didn’t know much English at the time, and it was Mikel Arteta who took him under his wing and became a good friend.
The two players shared a very close bond on and off the pitch, and they spent a lot of time together when they were at the club.
Cazorla was one of the best midfielders Arsenal had in the Emirates era.
He didn’t have the physical presence that someone like Declan Rice does now, but he had the ability to get the better of any player on his day.
That is what made him a popular figure among the Arsenal fans, who adore him to this day. Even his former teammates love him too.
One of them is Arteta.
When asked by Hotstar who his funniest teammate of all time was, he replied without any hesitation: “Santi Cazorla!”
Santi Cazorla’s career at Arsenal came to a sad end
Cazorla was an absolute fan favourite at Arsenal.
The Spaniard spent six years at the Emirates and played 180 games for the club. He was absolutely brilliant, but a serious Achilles injury ruined everything for him.
Cazorla’s last game for Arsenal came in October 2016, and he missed the remainder of that season. He didn’t play a single minute in the following campaign either.
After over 18 months out, the Gunners decided to release Cazorla in 2018.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
