The small Basque club that produced Arteta, Alonso and Iraola

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Mikel 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.Asked in 2024 why so many Basque managers end up in the Premier League, Arteta replied: "Go to San Sebastian, come back and then ask me the question.""It's probably the passion, the food and the education we all had. It is probably about opportunities, and someone has to believe in you," he added.Iraola also explained that they played against each other for their schools and on the beach in San Sebastian but then crafted their passion at a pitch in Berio, home to Antiguoko, where he, Arteta and Alonso eventually lined up together.

"My father was a player, later he was manager so I always have had a very strong link to the club. That success partly inspired the launch of Antiguoko, in the densely populated San Sebastian, sandwiched between hills on one side and La Concha beach on the other.The basic conditions were no barrier to success, with the club producing more than 40 alumni who have gone on to play in the top flight, including Athletic Club's legendary striker Aritz Aduriz - also part of that team with the trio of future Premier League managers."We compensate for that significant gap with enormous passion for the work we do, and we continue to compete head-to-head with top teams at all youth levels," general manager and goalkeeping coach Gorka Azpeitia added.Antiguoko's highlights include scoring five goals against local professional side Real Sociedad at youth level and beating a Real Madrid team featuring goalkeeper Iker Casillas 4-2 with Alonso and Iraola in the team in 1999.They have also eliminated La Liga clubs Valencia and Celta Vigo in youth cup competitions.Last season, Antiguoko's Under-19s finished above Real Sociedad, Osasuna and Alaves in their league, following their rise to semi-professional status and the transformation of their concrete pitch into a high-quality artificial surface.Although Antiguoko receive some payments for development costs when players achieve success in the professional game, it is getting harder to compete with the bigger clubs.Azpeitia added: "It was a very special generation, yes.

Today we continue to recruit and develop very good players, but it's more difficult for them to stay at the club for as long as they did."I hope I'm wrong, because it's certainly not for a lack of effort, but it will be difficult to replicate a generation like that one."'A society with a very strong sporting culture'All three coaches remain friends, having moved on in the late nineties. Alonso chose Real Sociedad as a player and Iraola went to Athletic Club with Aduriz.