Mikel Arteta has admitted he questioned whether he was good enough to deliver a major trophy for Arsenal - claiming he was "vulnerable" before finally winning a Premier League title for the Gunners.
Arteta has guided Arsenal to their first top-flight title in 22 years, with the Gunners clinching it on Tuesday night after second-placed Manchester City could only draw with Bournemouth.
In April, Arsenal showed some cracks after defeats to Bournemouth and City let Pep Guardiola's side back into the title race. But the Gunners recovered afterwards to deliver the title - and could add to it by winning the Champions League final in Budapest next week.
"Yes, we won the league," Arteta said in a press conference on Thursday. "But the most proud I've been is how we've won it.
"We showed very important values not only in sport, but in life. Perseverance, to be resilient, to be composed in moments when people are doubting. And to be vulnerable.
"I've asked that question to myself: am I good enough to lead these players to win a major trophy? Until you do it, you cannot validate yourself.
"The big lesson here is stay humble, stay curious and focus on the point and you want to achieve. If you give your best, you give yourself a good chance. We've given ourselves a good chance for three years. This season, we've done it.
"Now you want more. We have the biggest one to play in Budapest in a few days. It's been extremely rewarding. We know we've gone step by step. When we haven't reached it, because sometimes someone else is better, they have better resources and be humble there.
"But you have to say: I'm not going to stop, improve and reinvent myself. That's going to be a theme in this season. If we haven't done enough, there are things to do to make that step. We've been very creative in our process to achieve that."
Arteta was asked for his most difficult and standout moments of the season in his press conference.
"There have been so many moments," he replied. "I need a bit more time to reflect on that. We have so much footage that probably will explain a bit the story of the season.
"The start [of the season] was tough. When you build the club, the team into a zone where the only thing left is to win it and the margin is so small, especially with our competitors - can the team handle the pressure from the beginning?
"Because we remember the conversations we had in September and October in the press conferences. 'If you don't win, the league is over' and there are still eight or nine months to play.
"To play with that on your back constantly is not easy. That has been one of the toughest moments."
However, the most important part of the season - according to the Arsenal manager - came in the same period.
Before Arsenal played their first Premier League game of the season against Manchester United in August, Arteta gathered his players for a meeting - without any other members of staff.
They gathered around a tree - put up by Arteta - in the training ground to symbolise the growth of the club.
"One of the main ones was a meeting we had here, at the training ground] next to the tree, when I got all the players together," said the Spaniard.
"And told them: 'Look at each other and the squad we've built over the summer. We are capable of everything and can be very, very good but that depends on us and behaviours - everybody understanding the roles they were going to have daily, to give the best for the team.'
"Once they realised that, we went to a different level. You've seen the impact that everyone has, during different moments in games through the season. And the capacity we have shown to deal with very, very tough circumstances throughout the season.
"Normally we have a lot of meetings and staff there, but it was the players and myself. And we talked about the role. What is my role and how I feel about them, and every decision I'm going to make is going to impact their lives in a positive way. Any decision I make is because it's my job to make it, so don't take it personally."
Arteta admitted he did not watch Man City's draw with Bournemouth, which sealed Arsenal's title - as he was barbecuing at the time!
The Arsenal manager was not with the players, who all grouped together with staff at the training ground to watch the match.
Arteta did join the players out in central London in the early hours of Wednesday morning - but the Arsenal manager has no regrets about going home and leaving the players for the crucial moment in their season.
"It's one of the best feelings I ever had," said Arteta about City's draw with Bournemouth.
"I was supposed to be here at Colney with the players, and certain staff, because that's what they wanted. But I couldn't. Twenty minutes before the game, I had to leave. I couldn't bring the energy that I wanted.
"It was their moment to be together, watch it themselves and just see what the outcome would be.
"I went home, went outside to the garden, started to build some fire and started to do some barbecue. I didn't watch any of it. I was just hearing noises in the background and the living room, then the magic happened.
"My oldest son opened the garden door, ran towards me, started to cry, gave me a hug and said 'We're champions Daddy.' My other two boys and my wife came over and it was beautiful to see the joy on them, they are always with me.
"It was magical. A minute later, Martin Odegaard was with the video: 'Where are you? Come over.'
"I said: 'Enjoy it. See you in a few hours, somewhere in London.'"
At the same time, tens of thousands of supporters gathered instinctively at the Emirates Stadium in emphatic scenes in London.
Arteta believes the chemistry the fans have created about the team is better than winning the Premier League trophy - and even used a 'bottle' metaphor to describe it.
"It was an emotional explosion," Arteta said. "Everybody has been keeping emotions, but not being able to really express them.
"So when we opened that bottle, everyone had so much to release, it's been incredible to witness.
"So far what they have created around the club and team, it's incredible to witness. That chemistry, connection, passion is something beautiful.
"The trophy is great, but this is something, in my mind, even bigger."
