Mikel Arteta Names Kevin De Bruyne Among Best Midfielders Ever

Mikel Arteta has named Kevin De Bruyne as one of the greatest midfielders in football history after coming up against his former Manchester City player in Arsenal's 1-0 win over Napoli.

De Bruyne started for Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, where Martin Odegaard's second-half goal gave the Gunners a winning start to their Champions League campaign.

It also brought Arteta back together with a player he knows particularly well.

Asked after the game if any Napoli player had impressed him, the Arsenal manager immediately picked out De Bruyne, describing the Belgian as one of his favourite players before recalling the time they had spent together at Manchester City.

"There is one of my favourite ever players that is Kevin De Bruyne, which I had the luxury to train him and to be with him almost four years," Arteta said in his post-match press conference.

"In my opinion, he is one of the best midfielders ever and it's still a joy to watch him play."

Arteta began his first coaching job at Manchester City in the summer of 2016, joining Pep Guardiola's staff immediately after ending his playing career with Arsenal, a decision made over an option to lead Arsenal's Academy under Arsene Wenger. He stayed until December 2019, where he then joined the Gunners as head coach.

De Bruyne was already established at the Etihad when Arteta joined, having arrived from Wolfsburg the year before.

The pair were together during one of City's most successful periods. Guardiola's side won back-to-back Premier League titles in 2017/18 and 2018/19, with them also winning the FA Cup and League Cup as City completed a domestic treble. Arteta was part of Guardiola's staff throughout that run.

Their careers went in different directions once Arteta returned to North London, with De Bruyne remaining at City for another five-and-a-half years.

He eventually left in 2025 after a decade at the club, moving to Napoli after winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League, among a long list of honours. Arteta’s Arsenal finishing runners-up to City twice whilst De Bruyne was there.

The pair had briefly been on opposite sides of a heated moment during the Premier League title race in February 2023. With Manchester City leading the Gunners at the Emirates, Arteta prevented De Bruyne from quickly retrieving the ball after it went out of play and the midfielder responded by shoving his former coach before wagging a finger at him.

It proved little more than a flashpoint in a highly charged game. Arteta's admiration for De Bruyne has remained clear, even as Arsenal and City became direct rivals for the Premier League title.

Now 35, De Bruyne remains part of Napoli's midfield and was involved from the start against Arsenal on Wednesday night.

There were occasional glimpses of the quality Arteta remembers from their time on the same side and as competitors in the Premier League. A promising first-half move saw Rasmus Hojlund hold off Gabriel before laying the ball back for De Bruyne, whose effort deflected behind before the move was eventually ruled offside.

Arsenal largely managed to restrict Napoli beyond that.

Arteta's side created the better chances throughout and eventually found the breakthrough when Odegaard struck from outside the penalty area in the 75th minute. Arsenal saw the game out by another tight one-goal margin, their third back-to-back win in such a manner.