Mikel Arteta has carved out a legendary status at Arsenal, both as a player and now as a manager.
After an impressive career that saw him play for the likes of PSG, Barcelona, Everton, Rangers, and Real Sociedad, the Spanish maestro found his home at the Emirates Stadium under Arsene Wenger in 2011. He spent the last five years of his playing career there, making 150 appearances and bagging consecutive FA Cups and Community Shields in 2014 and 2015 before hanging up his boots to transition into management.
Arteta then served as Pep Guardiola’s right-hand man at Manchester City from 2016, aiding the genius in securing two Premier League titles, two EFL Cups, two community shields and an FA Cup before parting ways with the club in 2019 to return to Arsenal as the gaffer.
READ MORE: ‘Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal can eclipse Invincibles and do something Arsene Wenger couldn’t’
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta hints at Raheem Sterling plans for Arsenal with Gabriel Martinelli issue
Since then, Arteta has emerged as a respected figure in north London, steering the Gunners to second-place Premier League finishes in the last two seasons – not to mention an FA Cup in his first season and Community Shields in 2020 and 2023. But what does Arteta’s life look like off the pitch? Daily Star Sport delves into his net worth, hefty Arsenal salary and his family life…
Arteta’s net worth
Celebrity Net Worth reports that thanks to his illustrious football career, Arteta has amassed a staggering fortune of around $25million (£18.8m). His 12-year stint in the Premier League with Arsenal and Everton saw him earning a reported £75,000 per week for the latter, although it’s believed he took a pay cut when he transferred to north London.
In addition to his earnings from football, Arteta also bagged several lucrative sponsorship deals during his playing days with big brands like Adidas and Puma. The exact figures remain undisclosed as Arteta has always been extremely private about his personal finances, choosing instead to focus solely on his passion for football.
A lucrative salary
In 2020, it was reported that Arteta was pocketing around £5million annually as Arsenal manager, totalling a cool £20million for his four-year contract from 2019 to 2023. However, this year he inked a fresh three-year deal, securing his position at the Emirates Stadium until at least 2027.
(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Currently, it’s speculated that Arteta is raking in around £8.3million per year at Arsenal – though no official figures have been confirmed regarding his base salary with the club. This equates to roughly £158,000 per week, positioning him as one of the highest-earning managers in the Premier League if accurate.
Pep Guardiola is raking in a cool $20million (£15m) annually at Manchester City, while Manchester United’s gaffer Erik ten Hag pockets about $9million (£6.7m) a year despite the Red Devils’ dismal eighth-place finish in the 2023/24 Premier League season.
Arteta’s better half
Arteta and his missus Lorena Bernal first locked eyes in a San Sebastian nightclub back in 2002, sparking an instant connection that led to dating two years on. At the time, Arteta was showing off his skills at Rangers, and Bernal was already a big deal, strutting her stuff as a model and TV star with gigs on shows like Chuck and CSI Miami.
(Image: Getty Images)
(Image: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)
Bernal isn’t just any WAG; she’s got serious credentials, having bagged the Miss Spain crown in 1999 at the tender age of 17. Although too young for the Miss Universe stage, she still strutted her way to a top-10 spot in Miss World. After a six-year romance, the duo said ‘I do’ in 2010 in sunny Mallorca.
Zoom to 2024, and they’re proud parents to three Spanish-born kiddos: Gabriel, Daniel, and Oliver. Chatting with the BBC earlier this year, Arteta gushed about his wife: “She has changed my life. She has changed my perception about life. We have navigated many, many different situations, some of them fascinating, some of them really difficult. I have that feeling with her that we never get bored. I can be sitting there five hours, 10 hours, go anywhere in the world and enjoy and have fun and laugh.”