Arsenal go head-to-head with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest
Ravit Anand
13:10, 30 May 2026Updated 13:14, 30 May 2026
Arsenal are in Budapest for the Champions League final
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Arsenal are in Budapest for the Champions League final
Former Spain and Barcelona midfielder Gaizka Mendieta has pinpointed one player who could be vital to Arsenal beating Paris-Saint Germain in the Champions League final to complete a historic league and European Cup double.
Fresh from lifting the Premier League trophy, Mikel Arteta's side go in search of immortality, but in their way are reigning champions PSG.
Going into the game, attention has been on the Gunners' full backs and their fitness to nullify the attacking prowess of Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele and Georgian superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
However, Mendieta, speaking at the Gatorade's 5v5 global grassroots football initiative for teenagers aged 14 to 16, believes Arsenal have their own talisman who could decide the game in a different manner.
When asked who Arsenal's most important player will be against the Parisians, Mendieta did not hesitate to name Declan Rice.
"Rice. I love how he controls the tempo and controls the game," Mendieta explained.
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"Obviously on set pieces he's huge. We saw it last year, especially in the Champions League, and we saw it obviously in the Premier League.
"As a leader, he can be that player. I think in these kind of games, these kind of players who are leaders, you need them to step up."
Reflecting on the job Arteta has done, Mendieta praised his Spanish compatriot and emphasised how crucial the club's long-term vision has been.
"The word I have in my head is patience. It doesn't exist in football. You have to trust the project, you have to trust the coach that you hired in the first place for the reasons you did."
"He's proved that he's a very talented coach, being successful. Maybe he didn't win as many trophies as he should have, but I think that certainly he's brought Arsenal to the elite of European football."
On the Gatorade 5v5 event, Mendieta added: "Obviously having some legends to play some football, do some interviews, but most importantly you can see around the pitch and the stands, all the kids, from different nationalities, countries, cultures. Football and Gatorade will bring people together."
Gatorade 5v5 has helped young people around the world access football through competitive and community-based experiences that celebrate participation, teamwork, and fun.
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The tournament forms part of Gatorade’s wider Fuel Tomorrow initiative, which aims to help 2.5 million teens access sports by 2030.