The Indian fans of English football club Arsenal haven’t slept since Tuesday night after Manchester City were held to a 1-1 drew by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, the home stadium of the latter team. Thanks to this result, Arsenal have been crowned as English Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years.
It marked the end of a wait stretching back to `The Invincibles` victory of 2003-04 —a title-winning journey that has been in the works for at least the past six years since Mikel Arteta took charge in 2019 to mould and shape the squad. The Gunners, as they are fondly called, finished second in the last three seasons, behind Liverpool as well as Manchester City, leaving fans all over very frustrated.
However, this season has been different, with Arsenal going toe-to-toe with Man City, the only contenders to win the title in a season that has been a rollercoaster of emotions for every supporter — not only across the world but also in Mumbai, including this writer. Having supported the team since 2007, after watching William Gallas equalise 2-2 against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on November 3 that year this writer has heartbreak, watching the team putting up a fight till the end even when the Red Devils were the favourites to win.
So, it is no wonder that every Arsenal fan has been celebrating with one another, even though there is one more game against Crystal Palace on May 24 before the season gets over.
Here are some of the immediate reactions:
Carl Lewis, 40, Bandra West
After 22 years, we lift a trophy we`ve been chasing and getting so close to for the past few seasons. This means a lot and should be a watershed moment for the club as this should be the beginning of a new chapter of dominance in the English football stratosphere! The Champions League is next. It`s been 20 years since we were in a Champions League final. I can still remember Sol Campbell`s header in Paris which almost got us over the line until Henrik Larsson happened. This time it`s different, there`s electricity in the air and nothing but optimism. COYG (Come On You Gunners) for one last push to greatness!
Mahesh Khedkar, 31, Andheri West
Trust the process. Arsenal winning the Premier league feels like a dream come true. It hasn`t sunk in yet that they have actually done it. I don`t know how I`m going to react come Sunday when I actually see them lifting the trophy at Selhurst Park. It`s been a long and torturous wait. Calling it an emotional rollercoaster would be an understatement. I have supported Arsenal since 2007, and unfortunately for me, that has largely been in the post-glory years of Arsene Wenger. It was the Emirates era, marked with suffering with Wenger, the man who built the Emirates. As people rightly say, Mikel Arteta turned the lights on and added the soul into the place.
This feeling of winning the EPL is unmatched and no words can do justice to it. The years of staying up late till 3 – 4 am and going to school as a kid, being trolled by rival fans, watching the ‘Wenger Out’ brigade, the horror defeats and more felt like scars that could never be healed. But guess what, time does fix things and the grass is always green where you water it. I`ve been trolled a lot for dedicating my right arm to an Arsenal tattoo that says `Victoria Concardia Crestic`, which is our motto. It translates to `Victory through Harmony `. And today, we are victorious and we did it with class, grace, and passion. Today, this tattoo that I`ll take to my grave, feels like one of my best decisions ever. I got it during our worst time, when the world was calling for Mikel Arteta’s head and I backed and had faith in him. I`m glad the board and ownership did the same and today he is the first Premier league player to win the title as a manager and the third youngest to do it. He picked Arsenal up at its lowest and he`s brought us up to the height where we belong. Truly turned the lights on!
Ryan Torres, 31, Vikhroli
We are finally seeing our club win the league again after 22 years. Through all the trolling, heartbreaks, late-night matches, and ‘next season bro’ jokes, we still stayed loyal. Arsenal has literally been part of my childhood and adulthood journey. So, seeing them finally lift the trophy again feels personal, emotional, and honestly, unforgettable. Like Henry said, this team could be “The Unforgettables” if they won, and they have done exactly that.
Colin Sequiera, 32, Vasai West
Arsenal winning the EPL title feels unreal. Twenty-two years of waiting, heartbreak, banter, and belief — and now finally seeing Arsenal back on top of England by winning the EPL… it’s pure emotion. This one is different. I’ve supported Arsenal since 1997 (my dad was an Arsenal fan), when I was four years old. So this honestly feels emotional beyond words. I was lucky enough to witness ‘The Invincibles’ growing up, and after that, it’s been 22 years of waiting, hoping, getting hurt, and still believing every single season. That’s why this title means so much. It’s not just about winning the league — it feels like seeing a piece of your childhood come back to life. But at the same time, it’s not over yet. The season isn’t done. We’ve still got a Champions League final coming up in about a week’s time. Stay humble, stay focused, and let’s give it everything in Budapest.
Rival fan
Sanjay Lawrence, 33, Vasai West
I became a Manchester United fan at the peak of the Alex Ferguson – Arsene Wenger era, fortunate enough to be pampered with titles and a team of mentality monsters. Along came Wenger in the middle of all this and gave Arsenal a title in the classiest way possible. Since then, you could see the hope Arsenal fans carried into every season, which disappeared as every season wore on.
What Mikel Arteta and this group of players have achieved this season is extraordinary. We as rival fans questioned their mentality, while Arsenal tested everyone’s patience with their relentless set-piece routines (Haramball, anyone?). But winning is winning, however it comes, and these players have earned their moniker as a certain Thierry Henry put it – `The Unforgettables`
Somewhere in a Manchester dumpyard, there is a glut of Arsenal-themed bottles laying waste today.
