Mikel Arteta faces Champions League showdown with mentor Luis Enrique

Arteta's Arsenal take on Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final, first leg on April 29. PHOTOS: REUTERS

UPDATED Apr 28, 2025, 04:37 PM

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LONDON – Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will have to beat one of the most influential figures in his football life when the Gunners face Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals.

Arteta’s side host PSG in the first leg on April 29 as the Spaniard aims to lead Arsenal to only the second Champions League final appearance in their history.

Standing in his way is a close friend who, along with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, played a major role in his compatriot’s impressive transition from the pitch to the dugout.

Luis Enrique was a senior star at Barcelona when Arteta started his playing career at the Camp Nou, a period that had a major impact on his managerial philosophy with Arsenal.

“He was extremely supportive with the young players, he was one of the main characters by far. I have really good memories of him,” Arteta said.

“What I love about him is wherever he’s been, as a player or a manager, his fingerprints are all over the place.

“You can sense it’s his team with the way his players behave, the way they want to attack and dominate games.”

The pupil has already got the better of his mentor once this season, when Arsenal eased to a 2-0 win over PSG in the league phase at the Emirates in October.

But PSG have improved dramatically since then, in large part because Luis Enrique’s decision to drop Ousmane Dembele against Arsenal for disciplinary reasons has inspired the France forward’s superb run of form.

It was the kind of ruthless gamble that Arteta is willing to take himself.