CRISTIANO?

A young Cristiano turning out for Atletico Madrid? It doesn't add up, init? Or is it the movie star, Tom Cruise or is it old school Superman? Or Michael Jackson or a prime Cesc Fabregas?

Okay, to be bring clarity, this is actually a certain Mikel Arteta Amatriain.
Not in an Arsenal jersey? Well yes ofcourse,he also played for Everton and became a legend there. Your eyes will probably notice that this is a younger version of him, than the one of at least half of his many Everton years. You have rightly seen because that was before Everton,about 20years ago when he was an employee of Rangers football club, in Scotland. He was one of their few stand out stars in those 3 years spent there.

It's heartwarming for folks who are Arsenal faithfuls watching the video below(dated 5th August,2003) to just begin reminiscing about good old times as they see Patrick Vieira, Ray Parlour,Dennis Bergkamp, Fredie Ljumberb, Ashley Cole and them all– it was the famous team that went on to be called the invincibles that same season,a team coached by the "Professor" himself, Arsene Wenger. So we can say Arteta helped to pave the way for an invincible season– that very day was the eve of the famous Invincible Season!

However, there was a certain player in that Arsenal team that attracts my attention today. Maybe you should guess with this motion picture below.

If you said Edu,congratulations you just scored 100%! Needless to say, for ardent football followers Mr Eduardo César Daud Gaspar(known as Edu) is the current Technical Director of Arsenal.

Now welcome to our little history session. It looks so surreal, you just couldn't make this up– Edu and Arteta playing against eachother and now working with eachother. Both of them played in midfield for their respective clubs and the danger of Arteta was clear in the short-clip below, with Edu fouling him clearly, twice. The second time, Arteta wasn't impressed and Edu began speaking back at him with some venom that even further shows that Arteta was giving him a beating of the ball.

ARTETA

source

But overall, you could see the fight, the tenacity of Arteta, his skill on the ball,his special ability for set-pieces. No wonder he spotted the Tekkers Guru and employed him for Arsenal very recently(a post on this titled "Arteta is scary" is upcoming, by God's grace). Arteta indeed was a fine player in his days and he played at every youth level of the Spanish national team. As for the senior team, it was the era of Spain's golden generation,as in Iniesta, Xavi, Fabregas, Busquets,Alonso even Cazorla. Arteta unfortunately couldn't match those guys and he never was called up to the senior team. Even so, he brings with him his above mentioned qualities and much more to the coaching table.

There's another thing I guess you guys didn't miss. It was such a fierce tackle on him by Vieira, a yellow card offence really. It's how dangerous they considered Arteta to be. Who would have thought that one day Vieira(now sacked) would be a manager alongside him and competing against him or that the one of the closest persons to Arteta in football would be Edu.

CONCLUDE

I think it's amazing how people's lives cross. Someone said till today, Arteta gives Edu a headache, only it's good one this time. Others are after petty issues saying they are finally they have proof that Arteta's hair moves.

This whole episode almost feels like a life lesson. "It's a small world" they say, be good to all. You never know.

all pics are video snapshots from my device

cheerfully...