Mikel Arteta's son takes next step in Arsenal academy as he leaps up the ranks

Mikel Arteta's son takes next step in Arsenal academy as he leaps up the ranksGabriel Arteta Bernal, the son of Mikel Arteta, made his competitive debut for the Arsenal's U18s this week, just months after being promoted to the club's U17sCommentsSportSamuel Meade Sports Brand Writer09:51, 23 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesMikel Arteta's son, Gabriel (centre), has just made his debut for Arsenal's U18s(Image: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)Mikel Arteta's son, Gabriel Arteta Bernal, made another step up the ladder in Arsenal's academy after debuting for the U18s on Wednesday when they beat Reading 3-0 at Bearwood Park.‌He came off the bench in the 70th minute and found himself playing alongside the brother of Ethan Nwaneri, Emerson Nwaneri, who found the back of the net. Arteta's 16-year-old son had previously been named on the bench for an U18s friendly against Ipswich Town in February, but this was his first competitive outing.‌His appearance comes six months after he made his competitive debut for the U17s in their Premier League Cup meeting with Watford in October. Gabriel has not followed his father by becoming a central midfielder, instead he's more of a winger.‌Gabriel is the eldest of Arteta's three sons, who he shares with wife Lorena Bernal. The other two are called Daniel and Oliver. Gabriel was born in 2009 when his father was playing for Everton, but has spent most of his life in north London. He went on the club's pre-season trip to the United States in 2023, as an assistant to the coaching staff.READ MORE: Arsenal told the game that will define the Premier League title race after Man City go topREAD MORE: Chelsea have just done Arsenal a massive favour as Mikel Arteta handed fresh title boostArsenal have continued to bolster their academy team with QPR's head of emerging talent, Dean Barker, announcing he has joined the recruitment team. He has spent time working as a PE teacher at the same school that pro...