Ahead of Arsenal's match against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, manager Mikel Arteta has paid tribute to his friend and former team-mate Jose Antonio Reyes, who played for both clubs before his tragic death aged 35 in 2019.
Born one year apart, Arteta grew close to Reyes during their time together in the Spain Under-21 age group.
Reyes started his career with Sevilla before joining Arsenal aged 21 midway through the Gunners' famous "Invincibles" season in 2003/04, as they won the Premier League title without losing a match. He helped Arsenal win the FA Cup in 2005 and reach the 2006 UEFA Champions League final before returning to Sevilla later in his career.
"I have great memories," Arteta told Arsenal's official website. "He was my room-mate and we spent quite a lot of time together. He was a fantastic character with a very special personality and had an incredible football talent.
"At that age, I can’t recall a better player than him, he had everything. He played for both clubs and he is part of our history in a big way because he was part of the Invincibles as well.
"Hopefully he’s up there and feeling proud of both clubs, and [this] will be a very special night for him."
Arteta has overseen the development of another prodigious Arsenal star in Bukayo Saka, who has scored 35 goals and assisted 29 in 143 Premier League matches since Arteta's arrival in 2019, even setting a club record earlier this season by making his 83rd consecutive Premier League appearance.
This season the 22-year-old has taken on a new role within the club's leadership group.
"I think it's really important [for the young players to assume responsibility] because the role that they have in our way of playing, in our team and in our club has to be mirrored with the leadership level that they should have around the team to make it grow," said Arteta.
"I think it's been a perfect environment. We have a really good mixture of players, teams and experiences in that group and it’s going to be a really valuable time to spend with those guys to understand what happens behind the scenes as well."
