Pep Guardiola has now revealed Mikel Arteta didn’t celebrate goals against Arsenal during his days as Manchester City assistant.
The Gunners manager was No2 to Guardiola at the Etihad from the year 2016-19. During that time the duo won two Premier League titles together, and celebrated countless goals.
But Arteta was always reluctant to celebrate against the North London side, a team he played for and captained.
After leaving Guardiola and Man City to become Arsenal head coach, Arteta has guided the team to the top of the Premier League table this campaign.
But before two crunch meetings in the league, the two Spanish coaches go head-to-head on Friday in a huge FA Cup fourth round game.
And Guardiola always knew Arsenal held a special place in his heart. The City boss said: “Everyone has dreams and I know he went to his club, the team he dreams of.
“He is a supporter of Arsenal, from the fact he played there, he was a captain there. He loves the club.
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“I remember when we were together here when we score goals he jumps a lot and celebrates, except [against] one team.
“One team every time we score a goal, I jump, look back, and he was sitting there. It was Arsenal. “It was that moment I said ‘that guy likes Arsenal’.”
Arteta won two FA Cups as a player with Arsenal, before lifting the trophy as the club manager in 2020.
Friday’s game against City in the same competition is the first of three blockbuster games in three months between the two title rivals.
