Arteta beats Lampard, Gerrard, Shearer to Premier League record

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has made history after Arsenal secured the Premier League title, ending a 22-year wait for glory, thanks to Bournemouth's timely 1-1 draw against the closest challenger, Manchester City. 

The triumph restores the Gunners to the absolute pinnacle of English football for the first time since the 2003/04 season and also cements an interesting piece of individual history for their manager. 

By guiding his side to the trophy, Mikel Arteta has officially become the very second former Premier League player to ever win the title as a manager, matching Roberto Mancini.

Since the league's inception and rebrand in 1992/1993, legendary tacticians like Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger, Jose Mourinho, and Pep Guardiola have dominated the landscape, but none of them ever laced up their boots to play in the competition. 

While Roberto Mancini achieved it first, his time in the Premier League as a player was brief. He only managed four appearances during his loan stint at Leicester in the 2001/02 season.

Arteta’s milestone is made even more remarkable when considering the volume of games he played as a Premier League footballer (284) and the number of former players who have attempted, and completely failed, to conquer the English top flight from the dugout. 

Dozens of former Premier League players have coached a team in the division, including prominent names such as Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Patrick Vieira, Roy Keane, Alan Shearer, Mark Hughes, Gareth Southgate, Stuart Pearce, Tim Sherwood, Roberto Di Matteo, Ruud Gullit, Gianluca Vialli, Scott Parker, Paul Ince, Slaven Bilić, Tony Adams, Gordon Strachan, Glenn Hoddle, Vincent Kompany, Freddie Ljungberg, Michael Carrick, and Duncan Ferguson. 

Despite this influx of playing alumni transitioning into Premier League management over the past three decades, none who had a rich playing career in the division, like Arteta, have been able to assemble a squad capable of navigating the 38-game marathon to secure the ultimate prize. 

By successfully conquering the division where so many of his illustrious peers fell short, Arteta has definitively separated himself from the pack, establishing an unmatched legacy that solidifies his status as the leading coach of his generation.