Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish reveals he has a large picture of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta in his home
Published
| Last updated
.png)
Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has revealed he has a large picture of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta in his house.
He joined the Scottish club in a £6m move from Barcelona in 2002 after seeing his first-team opportunities restricted by the emergence of Xavi and Andres Iniesta at the Catalan club.
Arteta quickly established himself at Ibrox, scoring in his first Old Firm match against Celtic.
He would later write his name into club folklore, converting a 93rd-minute penalty in a 6-1 win over Dunfermline Athletic on the final day of the 2002–03 season, which proved vital for goal difference as Rangers pipped Celtic to the Scottish Premier League title on their way to a domestic treble under McLeish.
Loading…
The wild celebrations of Arteta, who was just 20 at the time, became an iconic image for Rangers supporters.
McLeish: Arteta pulled rank on everybody
McLeish has now revealed that he has a large picture of the moment at his home in Scotland.
"My brother-in-law gave me a picture of that moment and enlarged it. I've got it in a frame in my house. I can still hear the noise through it now," McLeish told The Athletic.
While that Rangers team boasted the likes of Barry Ferguson, Ronald de Boer and Lorenzo Amoruso, it was Arteta who stepped up secure the title.
"He pulled rank on everybody. Ronald must have said, 'Let him take it, he'll bury it'," added McLeish.
"No one argued. There was a confidence in him within our team. We had no doubt he was going to score," added Australian centre-back Craig Moore.
After winning the title in his debut season, Arteta spent one more year at Ibrox before returning to Spain with Real Sociedad.
He later moved to England with Everton, spending six years at Goodison, before joining Arsenal in 2011.
The Spaniard enjoyed five years at the Emirates and was later named club captain, eventually retiring in 2016.
He will now hope to win another league title as manager of the Gunners - 20 years on from his dramatic moment in Scotland.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Scotland, Rangers, Premier League, Scottish Premiership, Football
