Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta pinpointed the one PSG talent with 'aura and energy' he'd never seen

Mikel Arteta said that Ronaldinho held an "aura and energy" like no other during his playing days.

Spanish mastermind broke through the youth system of before enjoying a loan spell in the French capital between 2001 and 2002, where he teamed up with the Brazilian sensation. And while his tenure with the team was short but sweet, he has previously explained that he was left in awe of his team-mate due to his capability to transform an entire team.

Hailing the attacking midfielder in the past, Arteta said: "I had to do all the defending because I had Ronaldinho and [Jay-Jay] Okocha in front of me. Imagine! It was super, almost unreal... A dream for me.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

"I was so blessed and I had so much energy at that time. I couldn’t waste that opportunity. Ronaldinho is the only player that I have seen in history that could transform, by himself, two clubs.

"He had an aura, an energy, a smile on his face. It was impossible to be next to him and be in a bad mood. And then I never saw a talent like this. In training, in every drill, it was like, 'How is this possible?’ Physically, it’s impossible to do certain things."

During their time together at PSG, Arteta and Ronaldinho lifted the 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup before embarking on highly constrasting careers apart. Arteta played for the likes of Rangers, Real Sociedad, and Everton, before making a mark with between 2011 and 2016.

In the years since, he has successfully transitioned into the world of football management. Initially working as an assistant to at , Arteta returned to north London in 2019 to take the reins from , successfully transforming the side into title challengers for the first time since prime.

Ronaldinho, meanwhile, enjoyed stints with Barcelona, , Flamengo, Atletico Mineiro, Queretaro and Fluminese before officially retiring in 2018. It comes as Arteta will have analysed the current PSG set-up as Arsenal prepare to face the Ligue 1 giants in the semi-finals of the .

The Gunners have excelled in Europe this season in particular, finishing third under the new league format before seeing off PSV in the round of 16 and then Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. And with winning the Premier League with four games to spare on Sunday, as well as early exits from the and the for Arsenal, the Champions League comes as Arteta's last hope of clinching silverware across 2024/25.

However, should the side hope to make it to May's final against either Barcelona or Inter Milan, they'll first have to beat a rejuvenated PSG over two legs in the semi-finals. After finishing 15th in the league format, Les Parisians handed Brest a 10-0 loss on aggregate in the knockout qualifiers, knocked out Liverpool in the round of 16 on penalties, and successfully saw off in the quarters.

The two sides have already met once in the Champions League this season, playing one another in matchday two of the league set-up - with Arsenal running out 2-0 winners on home soil courtesy of goals from and .

And Arteta will most certainly be hoping for more of the same when the two sides clash at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening, before meeting for a third and final time at the Parc des Princes next Wednesday.