Sunday's meeting between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium carries a personal subplot that stretches back more than three decades, as Gunners boss Mikel Arteta and Blues manager Xabi Alonso prepare to face each other as rivals despite a friendship forged in childhood.
The two grew up within minutes of each other in San Sebastian, born just four months apart, and came through the same amateur club, Antiguoko, alongside another current Premier League manager, Liverpool's Andoni Iraola. Their old youth coach, Roberto Montiel, recalled the contrasting characters even then. "Mikel Arteta was a leader then, just as he is today," Montiel told BBC Sport. "Xabi Alonso was very quiet, but on the field he was an excellent playmaker."
Their paths diverged and reconverged repeatedly. Alonso, son of a former Spain international, was always destined for professional football and eventually joined Liverpool, while Arteta was snapped up by Barcelona's La Masia academy before a spell at Rangers. In January 2005, Arteta chose to join Everton on loan partly because it meant reuniting with Alonso, who had arrived at Liverpool six months earlier. For five years the pair lived close together on Merseyside, though their bond had to remain largely hidden given the sensitivities of the Everton-Liverpool rivalry.
"I had to be sensible," Arteta said this week, reflecting on those years. "There is no need to make certain things public. The same when Pepe [Reina] and other players were there. We shared some moments together, that is inevitable. But as well, you have to be able to separate what is your profession and what is a human relationship."
Their playing careers ultimately took very different trajectories. Alonso won 114 caps for Spain, lifting the World Cup, two European Championships and the Champions League with both Liverpool and Real Madrid. Arteta, despite his undoubted quality, never earned an international cap, though he did claim the Scottish league title and two FA Cups during his time in England, including a spell at Arsenal itself.
Now, at 44, both men have established themselves among the most highly regarded coaches in the game, each having already won a major European title—Arteta domestically in his managerial rise, and Alonso famously guiding Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga triumph. Arteta was full of praise for his friend's achievement in Germany. "Courage," he said. "To go abroad and deliver what he's done, I think it's remarkable. It shows that doing what you feel, being able to translate that to a club, to players and ultimately to achieve the goals that you want is possible, regardless of where you are born and where you are from."
Asked whether San Sebastian's turbulent history had shaped their mentality as competitors, Arteta suggested it had. "We have tough skin," he said. "We have obviously dealt with a lot, inside the country as well. That has reinforced us, it has made us different. Not better, but different in a sense."
Beyond the personal narrative, Sunday's clash carries genuine significance for the title race. Both Arsenal and Chelsea head into the fixture unbeaten through two Premier League games this season. Arsenal, the reigning champions, have beaten Coventry City and Aston Villa, while Alonso's Chelsea have started with wins over Fulham and Brighton and Hove Albion. Chelsea's attack has looked particularly potent, built around Joao Pedro alongside Cole Palmer and record British signing Morgan Rogers, who joined for £117million after being an Arsenal transfer target over the summer. Rogers scored on his league debut in the win at Fulham.
Arteta believes Chelsea are genuine title contenders. "I think they have every ingredient to be in the highest part of the table," he said. "Knowing him, knowing the history of the club, the quality of the squad that they have... it is very, very possible."
The match kicks off at 4:30pm BST and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Based on reporting from Independent Football and Standard Football.