Mikel Arteta Amatriain is a Spanish footballer who plays for Arsenal as a midfielder and is also the club's vice-captain. Arteta started out as a trainee with FC Barcelona and was eventually loaned to Paris Saint-Germain in the French league. He was then signed by Scottish Premier League club Rangers with whom he won the domestic treble of the league, Scottish Cup and League Cup during the season of 2002–03. After his successful run in Scotland, Arteta moved back to Spain to play for Real Sociedad but failed to establish himself within the first team and was loaned to Everton for the remainder of the 2004–05 season. He was offered a permanent contract in July 2005. He then made a permanent transfer to Arsenal in 2011 and was appointed vice-captain of the club in August 2012. Internationally, Arteta has represented Spain at under-21 level, but he has not played for the senior national team.
