MIKEL ARTETA has finally led his Arsenal side to Premier League glory.
After seven years at the helm, the former midfielder navigated a fierce title challenge from a departing Pep Guardiola to win his maiden league title.
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Mikel Arteta is married to former Miss World contestant Lorena Bernal Credit: Getty
The couple have three children together, from left to right, Gabriel, Oliver and Daniel Credit: AFP
But he could not have done it without the support of his loving family.
From a beauty queen wife to a son who is looking to follow in his father’s footsteps, the Arteta family have a lot to shout about.
Arteta is married to Argentine-Spanish model Lorena Bernal, one year his senior at 45.
The glamorous star was born in South America before moving to the Spanish coastal town of San Sebastian as a child, the same city in which Arteta (and new Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso) grew up.
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Lorena, who is fluent in Spanish, English, and French, attended the French Lycée Français de Saint Sébastien in Spain and later studied at Maurice Ravel school in Saint Jean de Luz, France.
She began a career in modelling when she was seven, and by age 17 she won the Miss Spain pageant.
She followed it by contesting Miss World the same year, where she finished in the top ten.
In 2002 she met Arteta for the first time at a nightclub in their hometown, while the footballer was taking a break during his stint with Scottish outfit Rangers.
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Lorena Bernal is a former beauty queen and actress Credit: Getty
They began dating and eventually got married in 2010, as both of their careers continued to blossom.
Lorena opened up to Hello! on how the pair manage to juggle such busy lives, saying: “There isn’t just one secret to our marriage, but I’d say it’s important to understand and to accept that you’re two individuals sharing a life, not completing each other.
“You’re not there to teach them how to live; you’re there to grow next to them and support their growth.
“But you need to accept that each person has their own rhythms, pace and journey, and that acceptance makes it amazing.
“When we have time together, we do pretty normal things, because our life is the opposite of normal.
“So we go for a walk or we sit and have coffee. Doing nothing together is beautiful.”
As well as her modelling and pageantry, Lorena dipped her toes into acting, featuring in American shows such as Chuck and CSI: Miami.
Despite both of the glamorous couple having busy and successful careers, they have also had time to raise a family together.
The couple have been together to see each other’s careers flourish Credit: Getty
All the latest on Arsenal’s title win…
The couple have three sons, Gabriel (b.2009), Daniel (b.2012), and Oliver (b.2015).
Gabriel Arteta Bernal, the eldest of the trio, is already making waves after working his way into the Arsenal U18s setup.
The 16-year-old winger has featured in four games in the U18 Prem since making his debut for the side in April against Reading.
He featured alongside Ethan Nwaneri‘s younger brother Emerson in the 3-0 win, kicking off what could be a very bright future in the sport.
His passion for Arsenal is also clear, with his father sharing the heartwarming story of how he found out that the Gunners were champions.
The deciding game was not an Arsenal match, but Manchester City‘s trip to Bournemouth, in which they needed three points to push the title race to the final day.
Arteta elected not to watch the match at his squad’s party, but ended up finding out that City had dropped points anyway from Gabriel.
The coach said after being crowned champion: “You probably don’t realise it. It’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.
Arteta’s oldest son, Gabriel, plays for Arsenal’s U18 side Credit: Getty
Lorena has been with Arteta for his entire Premier League journeyCredit: Not known clear with picture desk
“I was supposed to be watching the game with the boys and the staff because that’s what they wanted – but I couldn’t.”
He left for home 20 minutes before kick-off to have a barbecue with his family, and could not bring himself to watch the match.
Arteta continued: “I went to the garden, started to build a fire and had a barbecue and I didn’t watch any of it,” he said.
“I was just hearing some noises in the living room and suddenly the magic happened.
“My oldest son opened the garden door, started to run towards me, started to cry, gave me a hug, and said: ‘We are champions, Daddy’.
“Then my other two boys and my wife came over and it was beautiful.
“Just to see that joy on them as well, that they are always with me, it was magical.”
