Nestled between a row of white apartment blocks and an artificial pitch perched on the rolling hills of Berio in San Sebastián, the modest grounds of Antiguoko have been the training ground for three of football's most recognizable names: Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola. Roberto Montiél, the club’s long‑time coach and vice‑president, still remembers the gritty surface that once occupied the strip of land now turned public park.
"The centre circle was just over there," he says, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together as if to feel the texture of the old field. "It wasn’t a pristine grass pitch like the one you see today.
It was smaller, covered in tiny stones, almost like gravel. The balls were heavier when they got wet, and a slip could leave you with a nasty scrape." Those humble conditions forged a legend that still echoes through the streets of San Sebastián. The games played on that rough terrain by the club’s celebrated alumni have become part of local folklore, especially now that two of them—Arteta and Alonso—will meet as managers when Arsenal face Chelsea on Sky Sports this Sunday.
Montiél smiles as he recalls the vision those youngsters displayed even on the most unforgiving surface. "Even with the gravel and the rain‑soaked puddles, you could see their footballing instincts. The teams from the ‘81 and ‘82 generations were extraordinary," he reflects. Arteta and Iraola belonged to the later age group, while Alonso was part of the earlier cohort.
Alvaro Parra, a former teammate and close friend of Artura, describes the squad as a "national team of the best local players," an unbeatable side that dominated regional rivals. "We would beat Real Sociedad 5‑0, Athletic Club as well, and we never lost a league. People started calling us the Basque Dream Team," he recalls. Antiguoko continues to produce talent.
In their modest offices a mile away, near Ondarreta beach, Montiél jokes that they need more wall space for the ever‑growing collection of signed shirts from former pupils – now more than forty names, with Arteta, Alonso and Iraola occupying places of honour. The fact that three boys, born within fifteen miles of each other in Gipuzkoa, the smallest Spanish province, have risen to manage Premier League clubs still astonishes even those who grew up alongside them. "If I really think about it, it’s absolutely crazy that our three friends are now in charge of top‑flight English teams," Parra says, laughing. "Sometimes I turn on the TV and think, ‘Oh, it’s Mikel!
Oh, it’s Xabi! How did this happen?’" adds Mikel Yanguas, another former teammate.
Yanguas, who played as a striker alongside Arteta, remembers the latter’s technical brilliance. "He was small but incredibly clever, always thinking a pass ahead of me. I just had to run," he says.
Both Yanguas and Parra recall how Artura’s presence made them look better on the pitch – a testament to his early footballing intelligence. Montiél often recounts a particular incident that illustrates Arteta’s quick thinking: during a drop‑ball situation against Real Sociedad, the referee let the ball bounce, and Arteta flicked it with the outside of his boot, sending a long pass to a teammate who scored. "He was always alert to everything," Montiél notes. Even when Arteta was a year older than Alonso, his competitive edge shone through.
"He had a fierce look, he listened to everything you said, and once on the pitch he became a predator," Montiél says. That relentless competitiveness has become a hallmark of Arteta’s managerial style. Montiél even recalls a childhood memory of Arteta sliding down a hallway in Liverpool after beating him at PlayStation, a reminder that the future coach never accepted defeat in any arena – video games, ping‑pong, you name it.
Their friendship endured beyond the pitch. After Arteta’s debut season with Paris Saint‑Germain, he called Parra and said, "Pack your suitcase, we’re heading to Marbella," a trip that remains undocumented in photographs but lives on in stories.
Parra emphasizes that Arteta’s success was not only due to talent; his parents instilled discipline and organization, traits that helped him adapt quickly when he moved to Barcelona’s La Masia at just fifteen. Yanguas observes, "Mikel adapted faster, learned the language, and integrated with the culture – a skill he repeated in France, Scotland and England." Arteta himself credits Antiguoko for igniting his belief. "Roberto used to tell me every day, ‘You’ll be a professional, one of the best in the country.’ He believed in me more than anyone else. You need someone like that in life," he told Sky Sports.
Today, Antiguoko’s new pitch sits higher up the hill, where an under‑16 side trains under the scorching midday sun. Montiél points out a slight midfielder who has already turned down an offer from Real Sociedad to stay loyal to the club. The club’s scouting network, led by sporting director Oscar Landa, boasts a 95 % success rate, but Montiél insists the real secret lies in the unchanged DNA of the academy: competitive instinct, intensity and sporting discipline.
Those values echo in Arteta’s own managerial philosophy, where he constantly preaches sacrifice, hard work and teamwork. Iñigo Iraola, cousin of Andoni and now a coach at Antiguoko, grew up idolising his relative’s journey from local hero to Athletic captain and later manager. He recalls buying his first pair of Adidas boots with Andoni on his birthday in San Sebastián, a moment that cemented his love for the game. While Arteta was the outspoken captain, Andoni was quieter but equally talented, eventually transitioning from a right‑winger to a full‑back under Ernesto Valverde at Athletic.
Though initially resistant, he embraced the role, later amassing over 500 appearances and becoming a model of understated leadership. Former teammate Ignacio Azpilicueta, who played as a centre‑back behind Alonso at Antiguoko, offers a unique perspective.
He watched Xabi’s passing evolve from a teenage pivot to the precise, powerful deliveries that later defined his career. "He wasn’t the biggest or fastest, but his intelligence and humility set him apart," Azpilicueta says, noting that those traits, shared by Arteta and Iraola, have been pivotal to their success. The club’s legacy continues with newer graduates like Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi and Rayo Vallecano manager Iñigo Pérez, proving that Antiguoko’s formula still works.
Montiél sums it up: "We’ve never altered Antiguoko’s DNA. Competitive instinct, intensity and discipline are non‑negotiable.
The results are evident not just on the field but in the character of the men they become." As Arteta and Alonso prepare to face each other in north London, the question of allegiance remains a light‑hearted dilemma for the club’s officials. "Choosing between them is like picking between mum and dad – a draw would be perfect," Gorka Azpeita, the general director, jokes. The story of a tiny club on a gravel pitch that produced three world‑class managers continues to inspire, reminding us that greatness often sprouts from the most modest beginnings.