Mikel Arteta believes that the inclusion of Arsenal players among the Ballon d'Or nominees reflects the club's current level of performance. He highlighted that individual recognition is a result of the team's collective achievements.
Arteta stated:
This shows where the club is right now and how well we are performing. I think the stability we have demonstrated in our matches is obvious.
These individual awards become possible thanks to the incredible work of the entire team. It’s nice to see this. They have managed to turn it all into major trophies — and that is what really matters.
Arteta himself is also among the contenders for the Coach of the Year award:
That’s not for me to decide, but being among the nominees is certainly a huge honour.
When asked who he considers the favourite for the main individual prize, Arteta opted not to say:
I don’t have a vote, so I will leave that decision to the experts.
