Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta Says He Would’ve Played For England Instead Of Spain If He Had The Opportunity

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that he would have switched his international allegiance from Spain to England during his playing career.

The 42-year-old spent 11 years in the Premier League with Everton and Arsenal but never received an international cap for Spain.

In fairness, Arteta was competing for a midfield spot with some of Spain’s greatest ever players, including Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas, David Silva, and Santi Cazorla.

Now, he admits that the allure of representing England was always present.

Arteta Says He Would’ve Played For England

In 2010, when Spain won the World Cup, then-England manager Fabio Capello and the Football Association (FA) made an attempt to convert Arteta into an England international.

Although the move didn’t materialise due to stricter rules around dual nationality players at the time, Arteta revealed that he would have made the switch.

“I was thinking about that the other day,” Arteta said. “I was actually talking to Edu about that at lunch. I would have done it. I feel very proud about it.”

Arteta’s decision not to join the England setup was partly due to the stringent eligibility rules in place at the time. Having been capped by Spain’s Under-21 team, he was unable to switch to England.

However, the current rules are more flexible, as evidenced by Declan Rice, who has represented England at senior level despite playing for Ireland’s youth sides.

“It was OK. If you cannot do it, you cannot do it. I wasn’t prepared to fight against the world,” Arteta said.

Mikel Arteta says he would have happily played for England but confirmed he was not one of the candidates the FA approached to replace Gareth Southgate pic.twitter.com/tgIkIsmquH

— PA Dugout (@PAdugout) October 18, 2024

Arteta Comments On England’s Appointment of Tuchel

Asked about his views on Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as England head coach, Arteta expressed his support for the German tactician, praising him as one of the best coaches in the world.

“I understand the opinions and the feelings. That’s the FA’s responsibility to say the first filter is only English managers, or the filters are any manager from any country, and we select the best for the moment that we’re in right now,” he said.

Arteta also praised the way England is viewed by foreign players. “I think I would take a lot of pride as well that a lot of managers and a lot of people would do anything to be the England manager,” he added.

“That’s related to how we’re treated in this country as foreigners. How much we love the passion, the respect, the history, and the way that things are done in this country.”

“I would take a lot of pride that a lot of managers would do anything to become England manager.”

Mikel Arteta’s brilliant response when asked about England hiring a foreign manager in Thomas Tuchel 👊

🔗 https://t.co/oLgWIu2eR8 pic.twitter.com/2Jd9Tkmp8s

— Hayters TV (@HaytersTV) October 18, 2024

Arsenal currently have four players who have been capped by England: Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Raheem Sterling, and Ben White. Arteta believes that Tuchel’s appointment could be a positive influence on his England internationals.

“They are going to learn a lot,” he said. “He’s one of the best coaches in the world, in my opinion, the way his teams are set up. It’s a very exciting time.”

“I spoke to a few of the players, and they had a smile on their faces straight away. That’s a good sign.”