Luis Enrique aims subtle dig at Mikel Arteta as PSG book CL final place vs Arsenal

Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique may have unintentionally aimed a bit of a dig at Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta as they prepare to meet in the Champions League final.

PSG triumphed 6-5 on aggregate against Bayern Munich in their semi-final yesterday, while Arsenal ended a 20-year wait to reach the final again after beating Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate.

The Gunners will now surely be the underdogs against holders PSG in the final later this month, with Enrique’s side also coming out on top when these two teams met in the semi-finals last season.

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Luis Enrique’s slightly patronising Mikel Arteta comment

Interestingly, as Enrique and Arteta prepare to renew their rivalry, the PSG manager referred to his opponent as “Mikelito” after last night’s game.

See below for the quote, via Fabrizio Romano on X, while the Telegraph’s Sam Dean suggested it might not go down well…

? Luis Enrique: “I appreciate Mikelito Arteta! We used to be teammates when we were kids, he did a great job at Arsenal”.

“It will be difficult, hard game but we believe in our football style”. pic.twitter.com/8JlK6uVlD5

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 6, 2026

“I appreciate Mikelito Arteta!” Enrique said. “We used to be teammates when we were kids, he did a great job at Arsenal. It will be difficult, hard game but we believe in our football style.”

Despite the praise for Arteta, “Mikelito” could be seen as a slightly demeaning comment, as it means little Mikel.

Wonder how Mikel Arteta will feel about Luis Enrique calling him "Mikelito" in a post-match interview last night.

— Sam Dean (@SamJDean) May 7, 2026

Enrique probably didn’t mean to sound insulting to Arteta, but it’s very possible that the Arsenal manager will take it that way and look to get one over his older ex-teammate.

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Arsenal chasing Premier League and Champions League double

Arsenal are getting closer and closer to a truly great season in their history as they’re now top of the Premier League and 90 minutes away from winning the Champions League for the first time.

Of course, it’s so delicately poised that this campaign could still end trophyless for the Gunners, so it’s going to be a big test of Arteta and his players in the next few weeks.

Arsenal have an easier run-in than Manchester City on paper, but this season has been full of twists and turns as both sides have missed opportunities to run away with the title.

PSG have the advantage of being able to focus mainly on the Champions League as Ligue 1 is not as competitive as the English top flight, so that could give them a big advantage when they meet Arsenal in Budapest at the end of this month.

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