Meet Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's famous wife who isn't a football fan


Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta recently steered the team to Premier League victory, but the former midfielder's wife likely wasn't paying attention


Mikel Arteta applauding at an Arsenal match© Getty Images
Matthew Moore
Matthew MooreSenior Evening Writer
2 minutes ago
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Mikel Arteta has been at the helm of Arsenal since 2019, and this year, he helped to steer the London-based club to Premier League victory, which they hadn't won for over 20 years.

The former Spanish midfielder has previously secured an FA Cup victory for the team, and he no doubt will be celebrated on Sunday as the team mark their incredible win in an open-top bus parade.

Arsenal runs through the footballer's veins with the star playing for the club between 2011 and 2016. During his professional career, Mikel has played for the likes of Everton, Rangers and Barcelona B.

In 2010, Mikel married Spanish model and presenter Lorena Bernal, but she might not have been supporting her husband's recent success, given that the mother-of-three isn't a fan of football.

Scroll down for all you need to know about Mikel and Lorena's relationship…

Mikel's wife Lorena Bernal

Lorena shot to fame when she was just 17, with the star earning the title of Miss Spain. She followed this up with a career in acting and presenting, with credits including The Deal, Stiletto, CSI: Miami and Chuck.

The couple met in a nightclub back in 2002, and at the time, Lorena had no idea that her new boyfriend was a football player. Eight years after they first crossed paths, the pair married in a ceremony held in Mallorca, and they have also welcomed three sons, Gabriel, Daniel and Oliver.

Lorena Bernal and Mikel Arteta walking hand in hand at night© Europa Press via Getty Images
Lorena and Mikel married in 2010

Despite Mikel's incredible career, speaking to HELLO! last year, Lorena confessed that she wasn't a fan of the sport. "I don't dislike football, but I don't particularly like it," she told us, before saying of the WAG label: "It's a shame that people are put in a box with a label, and people assume that everyone with that label is the same way."

Speaking about her long-lasting relationship, the star said: "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."

Lorena Bernal and Mikel Arteta walking with a baby© Europa Press via Getty Images
The pair have three children, who they often keep out of the spotlight

"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."

Mikel has been equally as supportive of his wife, telling the BBC in 2024: "She has changed my life. She has changed my perception about life. We have navigated many, many different situations, some of them fascinating, some of them really difficult.

Lorena Bernal and Mikel Arteta at the Global Gift Gala© WireImage
Mikel is incredibly happy with Lorena

"I have that feeling with her that we never get bored. I can be sitting there five hours, 10 hours, go anywhere in the world and enjoy and have fun and laugh. In our profession we always talk about the protagonist, which is the player or the coach or the manager.

He concluded: "But what about the person that is next to that one? And without that there is not enough foundations and there is not enough strength for that to be consistent."

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