Mikel Arteta revealed he was barbecuing alone in his garden when Arsenal sealed the Premier League title after Manchester City dropped points, ending the club’s 22-year wait for glory.
Mikel Arteta has revealed he was alone in his garden cooking barbecue when Arsenal finally secured the Premier League title after a dramatic twist in the title race earlier this week.
Manchester City’s 1-1 draw away to Bournemouth on Tuesday confirmed Arsenal as champions of England for the first time since the famous ‘Invincibles’ campaign of 2003/04, ending a 22-year wait for the trophy.
The Arsenal. Your Premier League champions. pic.twitter.com/gNnfzesrhP
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 19, 2026
The Arsenal manager described the achievement as one of the greatest moments of his career after spending six and a half years rebuilding the club into genuine title contenders.
However, Arteta admitted he did not actually watch Manchester City’s decisive clash at the Vitality Stadium, despite initially planning to follow the game with his players and coaching staff at Arsenal’s training ground.
Pep Guardiola’s side needed a victory to keep the title race alive heading into the final weekend of the season, but Arteta said he was unable to handle the tension and chose to leave shortly before kick-off.
“I was supposed to be here watching the game with the boys and staff, but I couldn’t,” Arteta explained. “I felt I could not bring the energy I wanted, so I decided to go home instead.”
🏆 Winning the title
🫶 How he found out
👀 Our final Premier League matchRead every word from Mikel Arteta’s press conference 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 21, 2026
The Spaniard said he went into his garden, lit a fire and began preparing a barbecue while trying to ignore the match happening in the background inside the house. The emotional breakthrough came moments later when his eldest son ran outside with the news Arsenal had officially become champions.
“My oldest son opened the garden door, ran towards me crying and hugged me saying, ‘We are champions, daddy,’” Arteta recalled. “It was magical and one of the best feelings I have ever had.”
Arsenal’s players returned to training on Thursday for the first time since their title triumph was confirmed.
The Gunners still have one Premier League match remaining against Crystal Palace on Sunday before turning their attention to the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on May 30, where they could complete a historic double.
