'When you get so close, all you can feel is pain': Arteta after losing Champions League final

Mikel Arteta's side lost on penalties in Budapest
Mikel Arteta's side lost on penalties in BudapestReuters

After penalty heartbreak in the Champions League final in Budapest, Mikel Arteta spoke to media at the press conference about still feeling proud for his players and congratulated "the best team in the world" PSG on their repeated triumph.

Initial thoughts

"Pain, that's it. When you're so close, a few penalty kicks away, that's all you feel. We have to go through that pain, digest it and turn it into fuel. I want to congratulate PSG, Luis in particular. They are the best team in the world to me."

Coming back to another final

"We're going to have to earn that. The level is increasing every single season. We haven't lost a single game in the competition, but the situations in the boxes didn't go our way today."

Feeling pride

"I said to the players and the staff that saying thank you one million time is not enough. Not because of winning the league or playing in the final, but because of the joy we have together."

How Gabriel ended up being the fifth taker

"He wanted to take it. Bukayo (Saka), Martin (Odegaard) and Kai (Havertz) would definitely be takers too if they were on the pitch. In practice, he doesn't miss any, but tonight, he lacked that precision."

No penalty on Madueke

"We watched all the penalties in the competition in the last 72 hours to understand what is a penalty. That could have been a penalty. But "if" is not what happened."

Programme after the title parade on Sunday

"I will take a few days with my family and then we'll start the process to review what we've done and make some important decisions to take it to another level."

21+ | COMPETENT REGULATOR EEEP | RISK OF ADDICTION & LOSS OF PROPERTY | KETHEA HELPLINE: 210 9237777 | PLAY RESPONSIBLY & SAFELY |

Do you want to withdraw your consent to display betting ads?
Yes, change settings