Gabriel Arteta Bernal, the son of Mikel Arteta, made his competitive debut for the Arsenal's U18s this week, just months after being promoted to the club's U17s
Mikel Arteta's son, Gabriel (centre), has just made his debut for Arsenal's U18s
Mikel Arteta's son, Gabriel (centre), has just made his debut for Arsenal's U18s(Image: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
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Mikel Arteta's son, Gabriel Arteta Bernal, made another step up the ladder in Arsenal's academy after debuting for the U18s on Wednesday when they beat Reading 3-0 at Bearwood Park.
He came off the bench in the 70th minute and found himself playing alongside the brother of Ethan Nwaneri, Emerson Nwaneri, who found the back of the net. Arteta's 16-year-old son had previously been named on the bench for an U18s friendly against Ipswich Town in February, but this was his first competitive outing.
His appearance comes six months after he made his competitive debut for the U17s in their Premier League Cup meeting with Watford in October. Gabriel has not followed his father by becoming a central midfielder, instead he's more of a winger.
Gabriel is the eldest of Arteta's three sons, who he shares with wife Lorena Bernal. The other two are called Daniel and Oliver. Gabriel was born in 2009 when his father was playing for Everton, but has spent most of his life in north London. He went on the club's pre-season trip to the United States in 2023, as an assistant to the coaching staff.
Arsenal have continued to bolster their academy team with QPR's head of emerging talent, Dean Barker, announcing he has joined the recruitment team. He has spent time working as a PE teacher at the same school that produced Nwaneri, who is spending the season on loan at Marseille, but remains the club's youngest ever player.
The work of the club's academy staff has been rewarded in recent years with Max Dowman the latest star to come from the Arsenal production line. The teenager recently became the Premier League's youngest ever goalscorer when he netted against Everton.
Prior to him taking the spotlight the likes of Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly had enjoyed breakout performances. The duo have seen their progress stall this season, leaving Nwaneri to head elsewhere whilst Lewis-Skelly is being linked with a move away as his minutes remain at a premium.
Mikel Arteta's son found himself playing with Ethan Nwaneri's brother
Mikel Arteta's son found himself playing with Ethan Nwaneri's brother
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Arsenal talisman Bukayo Saka is another academy product and, after a number of seasons where he's been among the league's best wingers, he signed a hugely lucrative contract that tied him down until 2030.
Arteta said several years ago that he wanted the academy to form a massive part of a winning side. "I want to have a team that is half-academy and half-foreign… and win the Premier League and Champions League consistently," he claimed.
"To have it is possible. We can do that tomorrow. To achieve what? That is something different. I have a great example: Athletic Bilbao. What they have done with academy players and Basque players is remarkable."
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