The small Basque club that produced Arteta, Alonso and Iraola

The small Basque club that produced Arteta, Alonso and Iraola Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta will be meeting in the Premier League this seasonByNizaar KinsellaFootball reporterPublishedJust nowMikel Arteta, Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso have the distinction of managing three of the Premier League's biggest clubs, but their connection runs back to when they were eight years old sharing a gravel pitch for a tiny club in the Basque Country.With just seven months between the oldest, Alonso, and the youngest, Iraola, they lined up together for grassroots club Antiguoko Kirol Elkartea in San Sebastian.This was no elite academy, but a typical low-budget football club with concrete pitches and the talent to punch above its weight.It is a far cry from the riches of the Premier League, where Arteta is entering his seventh season after winning the title.Alonso, meanwhile, is officially starting work as Chelsea manager at the same time his childhood team-mate Iraola, who was interviewed for the Blues job, does likewise at Liverpool.The Basque region is well represented in the Premier League.Aston Villa manager Unai Emery - who co-owns fourth-tier club Real Union, just a half-hour drive from Antiguoko - and Villa sporting director Roberto Olabe are both from the region.Pep Guardiola's former Manchester City assistant Juanma Lillo and the club's former sporting director Txiki Begiristain also hail from the area, as do Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi and former Premier League managers Julen Lopetegui and Javi Gracia.And now Antiguoko, a modest grassroots club turned semi-professional outfit in San Sebastian, are having a big influence at the top of the English game.How Arteta, Iraola and Alonso shoneImage source, handoutImage caption, Iraola is bottom right and Arteta is in the middle with the coach Roberto Montiel's hand on his shoulderAsked in 2024 why so many Basque managers end up in the Premier League, Arteta repl...