Can you name Arsenal’s XI from Mikel Arteta’s final match as a player?

Mikel Arteta announced his retirement as a player in 2016. How well can you recall the occasion?

We’re setting you the test of naming the starting XI that Arsene Wenger went with for the Gunners’ 4-0 victory over already-relegated Aston Villa on the final day of the 2015-16 season.

Club captain Arteta didn’t actually start that day, and was only brought on in the 88th for his final farewell. Injury issues actually saw the Spanish midfielder reduced to a peripheral role that final season. He didn’t make a single start in the Premier League and clocked up just 162 minutes for an Arsenal side that finished runners-up to Leicester City.

“It is very hard to stop but I wanted to leave it. I wanted to decide, and I thought for the last few months that I wasn’t good enough to represent this club on the pitch,” Arteta said in a statement when he announced the decision to hang up his boots.

“You have to accept it. It has been a long time for me to be playing football and I didn’t want to cheat them or anyone. It is time. I want to leave it like this and we will see what happens.”

That final appearance is memorable for Arsenal’s striker that day scoring a hat-trick. But can you recall who led the line as well as the 10 others that started for Arsenal?

Arteta had coaching offers from Arsenal and even Tottenham when he called time on his playing career, but he instead elected to join Pep Guardiola at Manchester City before returning to the Emirates in 2019. The rest is history.

If you’re after another challenge after this, why not try and name every player Arsene Wenger used in his last season at Arsenal?

Good luck, and don’t forget to tweet us your score at @planetfutebol. 

If you’ve not already, sign up for a Planet Sport account to access hints for those tricky answers, to reveal the ones you’ve missed, and to register your score on the leaderboard. 

NEXT QUIZ: Can you name Arsenal’s XI from Mikel Arteta’s first match as boss?