Mikel Arteta, Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso have the privilege of managing three of the Premier League's biggest clubs, but their bond dates back to when they were eight years old and shared a gravel pitch for a small club in the Basque region. With only seven months difference between the eldest, Alonso, and the youngest, Iraola, they lined up together for the Antiguoko Kirol Elkartea grassroots club in San Sebastián. This was not an elite academy, but a typical low-budget football club with hard pitches and the talent to compete above expectations. It is a world away from the riches of the Premier League, where Arteta is starting his seventh season after winning the title. Meanwhile, Alonso has officially launched his career as Chelsea manager, while his childhood partner Iraola, who was interviewed for the Blues job, does the same at Liverpool. The Basque region is well represented in the Premier League. Aston Villa manager Unai Emery, who co-owns fourth division club Real Union, just half an hour away from Antiguoko, and Aston Villa sporting director Roberto Olabe are both from the region. Juanma Lillo, Pep Guardiola's former assistant at Manchester City, and the club's former sporting director Txiki Begiristain are also from the area, as are Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi and former Premier League managers Julen Lopetegui and Javi Gracia. And now Antiguoko, a modest grassroots club turned semi-professional in San Sebastián, is making a big impact at the top of English football.
Like Arteta, Iraola and Alonso shone
Asked in 2024 why so many Basque managers end up in the Premier League, Arteta replied: "Go to San Sebastián, come back and then ask me the question." "It's probably the passion, the food and the education we received. Probably about the opportunities and someone has to believe in you," he added. Iraola also explained that they battled each other through schools and on the beach in San Sebastián, but then honed their passion on a pitch in Berio, home to Antiguoko, where he, Arteta and Alonso lined up together. "We are just a neighborhood club; we were lucky to coincide with a generation of players that is historic," said Roberto Montiel, vice president and sporting director. "When Arteta, Iraola and Alonso were children, we played on a gravel pitch. For a club like ours, it is a source of pride to see how these players, who we have seen grow as footballers, have triumphed as players and now as coaches. "At that time, players born after August 1981 could play with those born in 1982, so Xabi Alonso, Andoni Iraola and Mikel Arteta played together in several tournaments. "Andoni Iraola was a very shy child with exceptional talent. Mikel Arteta was a leader even then, just as he is today. Xabi Alonso was very quiet, but on the pitch he was an excellent playmaker." Arteta is described as someone who has always stood out – a decisive striker at the time. Alonso, son of Spanish footballer Periko Alonso, was always expected to reach professional football. In an interview with BBC Sport in 2019 while coaching Real Sociedad's B team, he said: "These are my roots. I was born 15 minutes from here - I live close by, so my whole childhood was around Real Sociedad. My father was a player, then a manager, so I always had a very strong connection with the club. I used to go to the stadium but then I was lucky enough to play for the first team and that moment was a dream come true." However, Iraola was not a heralded star and spoke of his surprise at breaking into the first team in an interview with BBC Sport at the start of last season. "I was worried when I moved to Bilbao," he admitted. "It's an hour from my house, I was afraid I didn't have the level to play with these guys and I was changing schools, but I immediately saw that I could play at that level, even if it came quite late." His former coaches say he executed the fundamentals excellently and simply adapted whenever he was asked to play at a higher level, eventually becoming one of the best players Athletic Club has ever had.
Antiguoko was founded in 1982, shortly before the World Cup in Spain. Basque giants Real Sociedad and Athletic Club of Bilbao dominated Spanish football, both winning consecutive titles between 1981 and 1984. That success partially inspired the launch of Antiguoko, in densely populated San Sebastián, nestled between hills on one side and La Concha beach on the other. The underlying conditions were no barrier to success, with the club producing more than 40 alumni who went on to play in the top flight, including legendary Athletic Club striker Aritz Aduriz – also part of that team with the trio of future Premier League managers. “We make up for that significant gap with a huge passion for the work we do and continue to compete head-to-head with the best teams at all youth levels,” added general manager and goalkeeping coach Gorka Azpeitia. Antiguoko's highlights include scoring five goals against local professional team Real Sociedad at youth level and beating a Real Madrid team featuring goalkeeper Iker Casillas 4-2 with Alonso and Iraola in the team in 1999. They also eliminated La Liga sides Valencia and Celta Vigo in youth competitions. Last season, Antiguoko's Under-19s finished above Real Sociedad, Osasuna and Alaves in their league, following their rise to semi-professional status and the transformation of their hard pitch into a high-quality artificial surface. Although Antiguoko receives some payments for development costs when players succeed in professional football, it is increasingly difficult to compete with bigger clubs. Azpeitia added: "It was a very special generation, yes. At that time, professional clubs did not recruit players as early as they do now. This allowed them to stay together with the club for many years. Today we continue to recruit and develop excellent players, but it is more difficult for them to stay at the club for so long. I hope I am wrong, because it certainly is not for lack of effort, but it will be difficult to replicate a generation like that.
"A club with a very strong sporting culture"
All three managers remain friends, having left the club in the nineties. As a teenager, Arteta left first to join Barcelona, even signing a deal with Adidas as his boot sponsor, and asked them to provide Antiguoko with some new kits. The Arsenal manager remains in contact with the club's staff, visiting and hosting them in north London. Alonso chose Real Sociedad as a player and Iraola went to Athletic Club with Aduriz. Both Alonso and Iraola began their coaching careers at Antiguoko whilst completing their Uefa Pro Licence. Around that time, Azpeitia met with Liverpool's current manager and said Iraola showed "simplicity, humility and intelligence" when working with youth. Iraola received a sporting merit award this summer, joining remotely for the club's end-of-season gala. He recently told BBC Sport: "It's incredible that we see ourselves on these top-flight football pitches 30 years later." In terms of Alonso's connection with home, his brother Mikel, who had a top-flight career with Real Sociedad, Bolton Wanderers and Charlton Athletic among others, remains in touch more regularly with the club. Antiguoko's story is just a snapshot of the success coming from the Gipuzkoa region, home to San Sebastián. It has the highest concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants, as well as the more modest but spectacular pintxos bars found in the city center. With its language, known as Euskara, which has no genealogical relationship to other European dialects, and exceptional natural beauty, particularly its golden sandy beaches, there is a high quality of life for the 726,000 residents. "We are a club with a very strong sporting culture and the people of Gipuzkoa are very competitive," Montiel explained. “It's that character that makes us different.”
