by Nia Griffiths

Mikel Arteta was full of praise for his Vice-captain in our victory parade this weekend – and deservedly so.

The Captain, who’s unfortunately been sidelined for the majority of this season due to a calf problem, spoke from atop of one of our double-deckle buses on Sunday and revealed how touched he was by Per Mertsacker’s gesture to give him the trophy to lift.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 30: Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta of Arsenal lift the trophy in celebration after the FA Cup Final between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on May 30, 2015 in London, England. Arsenal beat Aston Villa 4-0. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 30: Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta of Arsenal lift the trophy in celebration after the FA Cup Final between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on May 30, 2015 in London, England. Arsenal beat Aston Villa 4-0. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

“Per is a gentleman,” the Skipper said. “I thought it was his time to go and lift it but he asked me to go upstairs and I’m very grateful. It was a pleasure.”

The class shown by this team of players is nothing short of heart-warming. In a time where football is often about money and glory, having a squad who play for each other, as well as the manager and fans, is fantastic to see.

Arteta contined on the topic of getting back to winning ways and how trophies often breed more trophies.

“It took some time to get going but now we have created some momentum. Hopefully we have many more to come.

“We have bigger ambitions and I think we have the quality and everything needed to go bigger and bigger. Hopefully we can do that in the next few seasons.”

Indeed, just days before the final, Aaron Ramsey described how after our victory last year, the team are hungrier than ever for silverware and this definitely showed this weekend.

Arteta also hailed the fans’ support and dedicated the trophy to them, saying, “It’s amazing. The weather is not helping today unfortunately but people still made the effort to come and join us, so we’re really happy to be here again.

“We’ve won it for the fans. They’ve been supporting us through difficult times and now it’s time to enjoy it. They have to take that momentum and really enjoy it because they deserve it.”

Finally, he added, “It’s amazing. We made history by winning the FA Cup more than any other team in England, so we are getting there.”

Let’s hope our Captain’s recovery continues to steadily improve and he’s back on the pitch for us in pre-season.