According to AS, Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso, and Andoni Iraola, three Premier League managers, all came from the same youth club, Antiguoko, in San Sebastián.

Behind the Arsenal versus Chelsea match lies the story of three friends. Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta will face off in a London derby on Sunday, September 6, and behind the technical areas of these two managers in this London battle lies an even greater history. This story also involves another key figure—Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola.

In the city of San Sebastián, not far from La Concha beach, there is a district called the "Old Town," home to around 17,000 residents and a grassroots football club named Antiguoko. The club, located on Matía Street, has produced players like Aritz Aduriz and Martín Zubimendi, the latter of whom has become a European champion, Premier League champion, and World Cup winner.

However, this club holds an almost unique story in sports history. Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso, and Andoni Iraola all started playing football here, and all three were in the same age group. Iraola and Arteta were born in 1982, while Alonso is one year older. The three met in the club's youth academy and even played together on the same pitch. Now, these men in their 40s will lead their teams in the Premier League, facing off directly. Arteta manages Arsenal, Alonso manages Chelsea, and Iraola manages Liverpool.

Roberto Montiel, the club's vice president, coached them in their early years and was one of the founders who nurtured these three outstanding figures of football. "At first, we trained on an artificial pitch at a seminary, not even a proper dirt field," Montiel recalled. While Montiel admitted that seeing them at the top of the world's best league is "very shocking," he also explained: "It is immense pride, marking an era and a milestone."

Montiel said that "all three were excellent from childhood," but he pointed out that "Arteta stood out the most." "He wanted to win every match; when playing on the beach, he would dribble past everyone and try to win everything. He is a born winner," Montiel said. Now, in Arsenal's technical area, he remains that way—a characteristic he has had since childhood: "At Antiguoko, we emphasized to all players first discipline, and then the desire to win and competitiveness."

Arteta had this winning drive from childhood, and this quality has continued throughout his coaching career. "Mikel is a football fanatic, like Guardiola, constantly thinking about how to help players improve. I know him; he is someone who can transmit his passion to players," Montiel remarked.

However, Arteta's former youth coach revealed that while Arteta showed early signs of becoming a coach, "he showed deep interest when he played for Everton. When he joined Arsenal, he even came back to watch some matches I was coaching at Antiguoko, corrected some minor details, and we talked a lot. He was very interested." Now, Arteta is a Premier League champion and Champions League runner-up, and Montiel knows the key to his success: "He is very dedicated, constantly thinking about how to help players improve, how to make the team better..."

Montiel recalled: "Xabi Alonso was very thin as a child, but in his first year playing youth football, his physique suddenly developed significantly." "He became known for his excellent passing ability, outstanding organization, and strong ball-winning capabilities," Montiel added. Perhaps these qualities, which he possessed as a player, have helped him become an excellent coach, though now he faces a difficult challenge. "Now at Chelsea, they have given him the power and authority that I believe he didn't have at Real Madrid," Montiel remarked.

Montiel also explained: "When you have a coach like Xabi Alonso, I think, the way Real Madrid is doing with Mourinho now, you have to give him power." No doubt Roberto Montiel knows Alonso very well. About his time at Real Madrid, he said: "In the Spanish Super Cup final, it was clear that the dressing room was no longer behind him. He handled it very skillfully, leaving the team without causing any conflict."

"Iraola didn't seem like he would become a future coach back then, which surprised me greatly," Montiel said. He also explained: "He was an envious player, a winger, so he surprised me in his coaching role." "Almost all coaches are defensive midfielders, attacking midfielders, or central midfielders; you look at Guardiola, Fàbregas, or Xabi Alonso," Montiel added.

This season, Iraola is managing a major club for the first time—Liverpool. "Moving from Bournemouth to Liverpool requires a lot of courage; it's almost like managing Real Madrid," his former coach remarked. However, Montiel is very confident in his former student: "He has personality, his own ideas, he is very brave, and I wish him all the best."

"What sets us apart is the discipline we instilled in our players and the competitive spirit that everyone demonstrates; Antiguoko's DNA is competitive DNA," Montiel proudly declared. In fact, that three players from the same small club in San Sebastián ended up managing three of England's biggest clubs is inseparable from the DNA that the vice president championed.

Montiel instilled certain values in them when they were just starting out, and now he is proud to see all three reach the pinnacle of English football. "This pride will always stay with me; they compete like I taught them, and I believe that, no matter what, some of my influence must have stayed with them," he concluded.

Website AF đã ra mắt! Xem tin tức đầy đủ, bình luận, chi tiết trận đấu và thống kê trên máy tính. Truy cập: www.allfootballapp.com