Mikel Arteta Praises 'Best Team In The World' PSG After Budapest Final Defeat

Arteta reacts to Arsenal's Champions League final penalty heartbreak

After Arsenal’s Champions League final shootout defeat, Arteta praised his players’ unbeaten run but admitted key moments in both boxes went against them vs PSG.

Arsenal Boss Arteta says 'when you're so close, all you feel is pain' after shootout loss...

After penalty shootout heartbreak in the Champions League final in Budapest, Mikel Arteta faced the media in his post-match press conference. He said he was still proud of his players’ effort, while also paying respect to the winners. 

“'When you get so close, all you can feel is pain': Arteta congratulated 'the best team in the world' PSG on retaining their title.”

Raw emotion after shootout defeat

“Pain, that's it. When you're so close, a few penalty kicks away, that's all you feel. We have to go through that pain, digest it and turn it into fuel. I want to congratulate PSG, Luis in particular. They are the best team in the world to me.”

Getting back to a final won’t be easy

“We're going to have to earn that. The level is increasing every single season. We haven't lost a single game in the competition, but the situations in the boxes didn't go our way today.”

Penalties to decide the Champions League final in Budapest 😮‍💨#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/0AVx3OIEdL

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 30, 2026

Gratitude for the journey

“I said to the players and the staff that saying thank you one million time is not enough. Not because of winning the league or playing in the final, but because of the joy we have together.”

Irmãos 🇧🇷#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/8XOG3Mvbxl

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 30, 2026

Why Gabriel stepped up fifth 

“He wanted to take it. Bukayo (Saka), Martin (Odegaard) and Kai (Havertz) would definitely be takers too if they were on the pitch. In practice, he doesn't miss any, but tonight, he lacked that precision.”

Arteta on the Madueke incident

“No penalty on Madueke. We watched all the penalties in the competition in the last 72 hours to understand what is a penalty. That could have been a penalty. But 'if' is not what happened.”

What’s next after Sunday’s parade 

“Programme after the title parade on Sunday. I will take a few days with my family and then we'll start the process to review what we've done and make some important decisions to take it to another level.”