From the streets of the Spanish city of San Sebastian; Where a friendship began that dates back more than three decades, to the English stadiums where they now occupy two seats next to each other at the top of football, the roles of Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso have changed, but one thing has not changed: the rivalry between two friends who have been accustomed since childhood to pushing each other forward.
Arteta, the Arsenal coach, and Alonso, the Chelsea coach, will meet on the touchline today, Sunday, in a confrontation that gives the long story of friendship between them a new chapter, after the childhood playgrounds and then the English Premier League brought them together as players, before their coaching careers put them in a direct confrontation.
The beginning of the story goes back to the Antiguo youth team in San Sebastian, according to the British newspaper The Telegraph, when the two were about eleven years old. In one of the final matches that was decided on penalty kicks, Alonso missed his shot, before Arteta took over the task of saving his friend by scoring the decisive kick and giving their team the title.
That moment was just one in a long line of shared experiences; The two grew up just minutes away from each other in the Basque city, spending their days playing soccer and tennis, going to the beach, and sometimes on skateboards.
Arteta describes his relationship with Alonso as “deeper than just friendship,” while Alonso previously spoke about his friend’s competitive personality since childhood, noting that Arteta was a “competitive monster” even when they were young.
Despite their different personalities, the two remained close to each other after they moved to professional football. Arteta was more vocal and present, while Alonso was calm and deliberate. But the difference in character did not prevent the continuation of the relationship, when the first became a player at Everton and the second at Liverpool.
The friendship moved to the city of Liverpool. The two players lived in the same building in the Albert Dock area, despite wearing the shirts of the two competing city poles. Arteta, the Everton player, was close to a group of Spanish Liverpool players, including Alonso, Fernando Torres, Jose Manuel Reyna and Albert Riera.
On the field, friendship did not mean leniency. Arteta and Alonso maintained the intensity of their competition in the Merseyside derby matches, while off the field they were keen to continue their relationship away from the sensitivities of the fans.
Alonso's move to Liverpool in 2004 was an influential factor in Arteta's decision to move to Everton from Real Sociedad the following year. The Spanish club aspired to see the two friends together in midfield, but Alonso left for England before Arteta arrived.
Although Arteta was the most prominent player in his teenage years, which led him to Barcelona’s “La Masia” academy at the age of fifteen, Alonso later surpassed his friend to become one of the most prominent midfield players in the world.
Alonso carried the Spain national team shirt in 114 matches, won three major titles with his country, and also won the Champions League with Liverpool and Real Madrid. As for Arteta, he did not have the opportunity to play with the Spanish national team, but at some point he searched for the possibility of representing England.
But their careers intersected again after they retired from playing, this time in the world of coaching. Alonso won the German League title with Bayer Leverkusen, while Arteta led Arsenal to the English Premier League title, making the two among the most prominent sons of their generation in the world of coaching.
During recent years, mutual benefit between them has not ceased. Alonso would call Arteta to get his opinion before some matches, and the Arsenal coach also turned to his friend for information about competitors, and he also consulted him when the club signed Bayer Leverkusen defender Pero Hincapie.
The similarities appear clear in their training ideas, which was confirmed by Granit Xhaka, who worked under the coaches, when he described their philosophies as similar, with a difference in the way messages are delivered to the players.
While Arteta tends to rely more on tactical boards and video analysis, Alonso participates more directly in training, but the goal for both is the same: to impose high standards and build competitive teams.
If friendship were to return after the final whistle, it would not be present during the ninety minutes. Arteta and Alonso know each other well enough to realize that competition can temporarily overtake friendship.
Alonso said before the confrontation: “It is a special story between us, but when you are on the field, you have to give everything you have.”
As for Arteta, he summarizes the relationship between them in a more direct sentence: “It is a competition. “When we face each other, you know what happens.”
Thus, the confrontation between Arsenal and Chelsea appears to be more than a match between two major teams. It is a new chapter in a story that began between two children on the streets of San Sebastian, through the football field, and the Merseyside derbies, all the way to the touchline in the English Premier League. There is no place for friendship throughout the competition.
