I roomed with Ronaldinho and had to do all the defending behind him and ex-Bolton ace, reveals Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta

ROOMING with Ronaldinho is not thing you hide successful a hurry.

In January 2001, an 18-year-old Mikel Arteta arrived astatine Paris Saint-Germain unsocial and “terrified” aft being shipped retired connected an 18-month indebtedness from Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy.

In his archetypal sensation of men’s elder football, helium was guided connected the transportation by person and mentor Mauricio Pochettino, a antheral who archetypal inspired Arteta to spell into management.

And by the summertime of 2001, the now-Arsenal brag had a caller roommate — a 21-year-old Brazilian signing called Ronaldinho, idiosyncratic who opened Arteta’s eyes to the beauteous game.

More than 2 decades on, Arteta faces the Parisian giants for the archetypal clip arsenic a manager connected Tuesday, and cannot assistance but grin arsenic helium recalls what it was similar sharing a country with a footballing fable known for his tricks and flair connected the pitch . . . and huffy partying manner disconnected it.

Asked what benignant of roomie  Ronaldinho was, Arteta grinned: “With me, helium was ever perfect.

“We were room-mates for a year. He was great. So overmuch energy, truthful overmuch fun, everything was good. Never a problem. Great times.

“I did not spot him arsenic a superstar astatine the time, obviously. But helium was a immense talent.

“He was coming from Brazil. He didn’t person the enactment licence truthful helium had to hold for a mates of months.”

A young Arteta was hopeless to enactment successful Paris beyond his indebtedness spell, lone to beryllium recalled by Barcelona and sold to Scottish giants Rangers successful 2002 earlier arriving successful England — via Real Sociedad — with Everton  two-and-a-half years later.

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Ronaldinho’s enactment astatine the Parc des Princes was besides abbreviated but sweet, leaving for Barca successful 2003 wherever helium won the Ballon d’Or, 2 LaLiga titles and the Champions League crossed 5 years.

Arteta continued: “He’s the lone player I person seen successful past that could transform, by himself, 2 clubs. He did it successful Paris, he transformed them. He went to Barcelona successful 1 of the worst moments and transformed them.

“He had an aura, an energy, a grin connected his face . . . it was intolerable to beryllium adjacent to him and beryllium successful a atrocious mood.

“And successful training, I ne'er saw a  endowment similar this. In each drill, it was like: ‘How is this possible?’.

“It was unbelievable to play with him. I had to bash each the defending due to the fact that I had Ronaldinho and Jay-Jay Okocha successful beforehand of me. Imagine!

“It was super, astir unreal. It was a imagination for me.

“I was truthful blessed and I had truthful overmuch vigor astatine that time. I couldn’t discarded that accidental — I enjoyed each infinitesimal of it.”

Arteta besides has a beardown relationship with existent PSG brag — erstwhile Barca subordinate and Treble-winning manager Luis Enrique, 54 — who helium shares overmuch successful communal with. 

But Arteta, present 42, admits helium owes a batch to his days successful Paris for making him the antheral and manager helium is contiguous aft being “protected similar a son” successful the “perfect environment”.

A period aft joining arsenic an chartless teenager, helium made his Champions League debut  astatine the San Siro against AC Milan successful a 1-1 draw.

Arteta said: “I was successful the tunnel, I was looking . . . it was [ex-Milan proprietor Silvio] Berlusconi, [Paolo]  Maldini, [Andriy] Shevchenko.

“I was looking, they were each similar this [holds his manus up high]. I was like: ‘Really?’ I was thrown to the lions successful Rome.

“But it turned retired to beryllium a truly bully match, which I truly enjoyed. It was an unbelievable night.”

Arteta is hoping for different of those nights astatine the Emirates, having drawn their archetypal Champions League outing 0-0  astatine Atalanta past month.

Last season, Arsenal were knocked retired successful the quarter-finals by Bayern Munich aft a 1-0 second-leg decision astatine the Allianz Arena connected April 17.

Three days earlier, their rubric dreams had been damaged by a 2-0 location nonaccomplishment to Aston Villa.

Ahead of different gruelling rubric contention and European run, Arteta said: “Last twelvemonth we astir went each the way. We came up short, truthful that is thing we person to bash better, to prove. That’s the adjacent measurement we person to marque arsenic a team.”

Gunners defenders Ben White (groin) and Riccardo Calafiori (knee) face late fittingness tests.