Here is every word Mikel Arteta said during his post-match press conference after he and his Arsenal team were beaten in the UEFA Champions League final.
21:25, 30 May 2026Updated 21:30, 30 May 2026
Head Coach Mikel Arteta speaks to the press after his Arsenal side lose to PSG in the UEFA Champions League final
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Head coach Mikel Arteta speaks to the press after his Arsenal side lose to PSG in the UEFA Champions League final(Image: Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta faced the media after his Arsenal side were beaten in the most painful way in the UEFA Champions League final. The Gunners lost on penalties and it will be Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes who need picking up more than anyone, having missed their spot-kicks.
There was further penalty drama when Noni Madueke appeared to be fouled in the box in extra-time. which the Gunners boss was questioned on. But the main focus from the Arsenal boss was on how he needs to now lift his players ahead of a brand new season.
They are Premier League champions and will celebrate that with their supporters on Sunday at the trophy parade. But it will be impossible not to have a tinge of sadness when watching the stars go by.
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Here is every word from the Arsenal manager’s post-match press conference:
Your immediate thoughts after defeat?
Pain, that's it, when you are so close in the competition and you are a few penalty kicks away from winning the biggest football club competition, that's the way which you feel.
In 2006 it felt at that moment like it would be a long time that it would take for Arsenal to get back there, but it does feel like this time you'll be back in this position again much sooner, do you feel that as well?
I don't know, we're going to have to earn that. The same progression that we had in the last few years, we're going to have to do that over again and the level is increasing every single season. We have had an incredible competition; we haven't lost a single match in the competition, but the reality is that when something had to go our way, especially in the boxes with the penalty that was given to Mosquera and then a penalty to Madueke and the penalty kicks, those margins didn't go for us.
I know you said you're feeling a lot of pain now, but is that mingled with pride because you came so close and before that penalty it didn't look like you would concede?
For sure. What I said to the players and the staff is that if I tell them one million times thank you it's not going to be enough. And it's not because we won the Premier League and it's not because we played the cup final, it's not because we played the Champions League final in the manner that we've done, it's because the joy and the moments that we have lived together every single day and that's above anything else.
Can I start with the penalty takers, Gabriel, unfortunately to miss the fifth penalty you put in a great performance. I know you had to take off a number of your regular takers as well, so how did he end up number five? Did he put his hand up or how did that come about?
He wanted to take number five obviously. We have prepared and trained this moment. Normally the penalty takers would be Bukayo, would be Martin, would be Kai for sure and we knew that if we go to extra time and penalties, the penalty takers would be different players. Still, with the quality, when you've got Ebz taking penalties in training, he doesn't miss any. But then you have to do it in this moment. We've been unfortunate not to have the same precision and efficiency that they had and that's the reason that we haven't won it.
Your team have shown in the Premier League that they know how to respond to these kinds of disappointments, how to use this pain to motivate them to come back, to push on. Is that what they need to replicate now in Europe, in the Champions League?
Yes, first of all you have to go through that pain, digest it and turn it into fuel, as you said, to improve and to reach a different level because it will demand a different level with the quality that is around Europe. I want to congratulate PSG, Luis in particular, because they are, in my opinion, the best team in the world. What they are able to do with the ball, with individual actions, I haven't seen it, and it's not the plan to play in certain areas when you don't have the ball, but they force you to do that. So, even more credit to the players.
You mentioned the penalty just earlier. Do you think that it was a bit unfair on you, considering that they got given the penalty and you felt it was a penalty for Arsenal?
I watched all the penalties in the competition in the last 72 hours to understand what a penalty is and what is not, and that easily can be a penalty.
Mikel, just following up on that I suppose, over here on that penalty. That could have won the match for Arsenal and possibly the final so it must be super frustrating.
If if if… it's not what happened and that's it. So we need to do better, we will have to improve and find different margins to get the outcome that we want.
You mentioned PSG being the best team in the world and the things they can do. Is that what you look at now in terms of evolving your team? And getting more towards that fluidity and freedom perhaps?
Yes and individual action that they have for sure. And then you have to get into the competition with all the squad available in the best moment, each player. And we've had more players, many more players than last season but not all of them in that condition for different reasons. And that's something that we have to improve as well.
After such a long season, after the parade is out of the way, what do you do the next few days? Do you switch off completely or do you already start thinking about reviewing and planning for next season?
First of all I will take a few days with my family and they will start the process to review what we've done. We start to make some very important decisions if we want to reach another level. And we're going to have to show that ambition because we are more than capable of doing it, but it's going to demand to be very, very ambitious, very fast and very smart.
You've said it in English but if you could repeat it in Spanish. How have you seen the action from Madueke? And tomorrow, I know that right now you don't want to do anything, but tomorrow there are about half a million people waiting for you in London. What would you say to them right now? To the people? (Spanish translation)
Let them do what they want. I already know how they feel about the team. I want to thank them for everything they've done for us throughout the season. Difficult moments like they've been with us. It's been a joy to see the reaction they've had when we've been able to win a league after 22 years. It hurts. It hurts a lot for them not to win it today because I can't even imagine what would have happened. We all had a huge desire to win it and tomorrow we'll have a great day, I'm sure.
Madueke?
I think I've given my opinion on Noni but I'm not going to say anything yet.
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