The former midfielder is Spanish by birth, but had been in England long enough to gain nationality.
He was interested in playing for the Three Lions, as he had not been picked by Spain throughout his career.
He stated this week: “I was thinking about that the other day. I was actually talking to Edu about that at lunch. Yeah, I would have done it.”
Asked if Fabio Capello had approached him, Arteta added: “Yeah, I would have done it. I feel very proud about it. I was very realistic, looking at the players Spain had at the time, and how big a challenge I had. You need to know your level, that is very important. Look in the mirror. At the end it didn’t happen. But it was good, at least to think about it.”
Asked if he was disappointed it did not happen, Arteta finished: “It was OK. If you cannot do it, you cannot do it. I wasn’t prepared to fight against the world.