During his ten-year career with Arsenal, Hector Bellerin would win three FA Cups, break into the Spain national side and establish himself as one of the Premier Leagues best attacking right-backs.
He spent the majority of his Gunners stint playing under Arsene Wenger, before the Frenchman called time on his 22-year spell in north London at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.
And its clear that Wengers philosophies struck a chord with Bellerin, a free-thinker who was always quick to stand out from the crowd of his contemporaries.
Hector Bellerin on Wengers management style
Arsene liked to compare football with art, and said theyre connected because football is a method of self-expression, just like art is, too, Bellerin tells FourFourTwo. You could see that philosophy in the way he trained the team, the way he wanted us to play.
He wasnt tactically obsessed, he was more focused on creating a place where we could enjoy ourselves. His philosophy was, If youre a part of the first team, youre professional and know what you have to do, and my duty is to give you enough tools for you to thrive.
I felt that when we played and the whole team genuinely connected with that feeling, that was some of the best football you can play. It was beautiful.
Unai Emery was given the task of following Wenger in the Emirates dugout, but lasted less than 16 months before he was replaced by Mikel Arteta, who Bellerin had played alongside at Arsenal.
Mikel is a tactical genius he taught me so much, Bellerin continues.
He and Wenger were two sides of a coin. Good football is when you have the right balance between both of their philosophies.
Im glad that Arsenal have been doing so well in recent seasons with Mikel as the boss, and also some young players who started to train with the first team when I was there. It was such a joy and I feel so proud of them Im like a proud dad, and it makes me happy.
"I always look forward to going back to the Emirates to watch a game and enjoy the energy of the fans.
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