|
Signed from Barcelona for a fee of around £6 million in 2002, Mikel
Arteta was a promising Spanish U-21 midfield player who enjoyed two
seasons in Glasgow. Mikel was regarded as being one of the finest
prospects in his country at that time, but with regular starting berths
in the Barcelona first XI at a premium, he signed for Rangers in a bid
to play more often and boost his chances of making the grade in the
Spanish national team.
He was no stranger to the Rangers supporters having performed well in
a UEFA Cup-tie against the Light Blues in December 2001 whilst on loan
at Paris Saint-Germain, and he soon forged an excellent partnership with
Rangers captain Barry Ferguson in the midfield engine room. Arteta
tended to sit deep, which gave Ferguson licence to roam forward, and
Rangers reaped a rich reward during the 2002/2003 season, as Ferguson
netted eighteen goals and captained the team to a domestic Treble. From
his deep position, the young Spaniard demonstrated a maturity beyond his
years, creating numerous opportunities for his team-mates. He was a
valuable asset in the SPL title run-in too, scoring vital goals from the
penalty spot against Dundee and Dunfermline. The latter was arguably
the most crucial, as it came in the final minute of the final game of an
epic season and effectively sealed the league title for the Ibrox side.
Arteta, who was named as Rangers' Young Player of the Year for
2002/03, was a penalty hero at the outset of the 2003/2004 season too.
After drawing 1-1 at Ibrox against FC Copenhagen in the first leg of
their Champions League qualifier, Rangers faced an uphill task to
qualify for the group stages, but Mikel's penalty shortly before the
interval in the second leg in Denmark put the Light Blues back in the
driving seat and qualification was assured when Shota Arveladze scored
in the dying minutes of the game.
When Barry Ferguson left Rangers to join Blackburn Rovers shortly
after the win in Denmark, Arteta was expected to pick up the departing
skipper's mantle and assume a more attacking role in the team. Initially
all went according to plan, with Mikel scoring in the first four SPL
matches and helping the Light Blues to win ten of their opening thirteen
matches. He also played in the opening four matches in the Champions
League group stages - a win over VfB Stuttgart at Ibrox, a 1-1 draw
against Panathinaikos in Greece and back-to-back defeats against
Manchester United but a calf injury sustained in a league match
against Aberdeen in November put the brakes on Arteta's season and his
appearances became more sporadic from that moment on.
He played in only fourteen more matches before the end of the
campaign, and his final appearance of the 2003/04 season in the
penultimate SPL fixture against Hearts would prove to be Arteta's last
in Rangers' colours. In the close season he intimated a desire to return
to his homeland, and his request was granted when Rangers accepted a
bid of £2.6 million from Real Socieadad, which allowed Mikel to return
to his birthplace, San Sebastian. (Alistair Aird, Author of Ally McCoist
- Portrait of a Hero)
|