Mikel Arteta has gained enough popularity at Arsenal to have his own popular chant. Indeed, the Spaniard has seen his popularity soar among the Gooners for helping his side enjoy a special season after a long time.
Arsenal are currently on course to lift their first Premier League title in two decades. They lead Manchester City in the title race by five points heading into the final months of the campaign. The Gunners have been able to bounce back from adversity time and again and showcased impressive character.
Arteta’s persona has also changed and he isn’t the same man that was disliked by a lot of fans a few years ago. He’s now also encouraging Arsenal to play much more attack-minded, positive football than he did in his initial period at the club.
With the Gunners playing brilliant football and soaring to the league title, fans are starting to showcase their love for Arteta and the team – be it on social media or during games. The Spanish gaffer has gotten his own chant to celebrate his impressive contribution to the team’s success.
The lyrics of Super Mik Arteta chant
Over the last year or so, some match-going Arsenal fans have developed a new chant just for their manager. English football fans have a reputation for coming up with creative chants to motivate players or managers. These are often influenced by popular songs.
Here is how the ‘Super Mik Arteta’ chant goes like:
‘We’ve got Super Mik Arteta,
He knows exactly what we need,
Kieran at the back, Gabi in attack,
Arsenal on the way to Champions League.’
This chant was actually developed towards the second half of the 2021/22 season when it appeared that Arsenal would be able to qualify for the Champions League.
Alas, that did not happen as Tottenham Hotspur piped them to the chase. However, fans have continued chanting this – knowing all too well that Arsenal are almost guaranteed to be back on the way to Champions League football next season.
The original song behind the Mikel Arteta chant
The Arsenal fans were inspired to create this chant after the popular song from American band Creedence Clearwater Revival named ‘Bad Moon Rising’. It’s a pretty popular song that has been used in a lot of movies and TV shows in the past.
Here is how the main chorus of this song goes like:
‘I see the bad moon a-risin’ I see trouble on the way I see earthquakes and lightnin’ I see bad times today
Don’t go around tonight Well it’s bound to take your life There’s a bad moon on the rise’
The basic tune and lyrical influence for the Arteta chant are taken from this song, as is the case with the majority of the other chants that Arsenal fans have developed in recent years.
Not just, the Arteta chant also appears to be loosely influenced by a chant created by Boca Junior fans to mock Brazil supporters- that was inspired by Clearwater revival’s song as well.
What did Arteta have to say about his chant?
Mikel Arteta, of course, is very happy to have the fans on his side after being a victim of a lot of criticism in his initial years at Arsenal. When asked about how he feels about having his own chant, he said: “You realize it in those moments that those people have big emotions towards the club and if we can make them happy then everything just makes sense.
“The connection that they show with the players and with me as well, we have to be very grateful because they have come on this journey and I think they believe in what we do.
“Personally, (it feels) great, because we’ve been through a lot and we played almost two years without crowds.”
Despite his delight at having the fans’ love, Arteta isn’t silly enough to let that from affecting the task in hand. Arsenal might’ve been knocked out of the Europa League, but the Spaniard will want to ensure they maintain their charge in the Premier League and are lifting the titles in May.
