Arteta picks Okocha and Ronaldinho as his top skilled teammates

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has named Nigerian football star Jay-Jay Okocha and Brazilian legend Ronaldinho as the most skilled players he played with in his career.

Arteta shared this in a fun chat with SportBible. He answered many questions about his past teammates, like who was the fastest, funniest, smartest, and best dressed.

When asked who the most skilled teammate was, Arteta chose two former Paris Saint-Germain players.

"The most skilful? Ronaldinho or JJ Okocha, both of them. Very difficult to pick one of those two," Arteta said.

Arteta played on loan at PSG from Barcelona for the 2001/02 season. He had the chance to play alongside Okocha and Ronaldinho during his time in Paris.

He made 53 appearances for PSG in his 18 months there and called that time a key period in his career.

Okocha joined PSG in 1998 and became one of the club’s most famous players before leaving in 2002. Ronaldinho came from Gremio in 2001, while Arteta was growing as a young midfielder on loan.

Arteta’s recent comments show the respect he has for the Nigerian player, known for his dribbling, creativity, and ability to entertain.

In another interview, Arteta joked about how tough it was to play behind Okocha and Ronaldinho. He said he had to cover a lot of ground whenever PSG lost the ball.

The SportBible interview also revealed more about Arteta’s former teammates. He called Ronaldinho the funniest player, saying he was known for his pranks, like hiding teammates’ stuff and joking with the manager.

Arteta named Mauricio Pochettino as the last player to leave training. He said Nicolas Anelka was the biggest spender among them.

Gabriel Heinze, who later became Arteta’s assistant at Arsenal, was called the most superstitious. Arteta remembered Heinze’s detailed pre-match rituals.

Arteta picked Thomas Rosický as the smartest player and Peter Lovenkrands as the fastest. Lovenkrands was Arteta’s teammate at Rangers after he moved to Scotland in 2002.

The Arsenal manager chose Frédéric Déhu as the best-dressed teammate and another Nigerian, Haruna Babangida, as the worst dressed.

Arteta started his senior career at Barcelona before going to PSG on loan in 2001. He later played for Rangers, Real Sociedad, Everton, and Arsenal before retiring in 2016.

After that, he joined Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at Manchester City. He became Arsenal manager in December 2019.

Arteta has made a name for himself as one of the top managers in the Premier League, leading Arsenal to the 2025/26 Premier League title, ending the club’s 22-year wait for the championship.