25 May,2026 02:06 PM IST | Mumbai | Nascimento Pinto
Arsenal lifted the trophy on May 24 after their match against Crystal Palace. Photo Courtesy: AFP
Being an Arsenal fan has been a test of time and patience for many Mumbai fans. While many other club fans may have reconsidered fandom, it has rarely been the case of Arsenal fans who have seen their club fight back on so many occasions that they always have hope. For this writer, it was one such match on November 3 in 2007 that left him in awe of the club three years after their iconic 'Invincibles' season that won them the title in 2003-2004.
After hours of playing football, we decided to watch the game at a friend's home. The television flickered with all kinds of red, making it difficult to pick a winner, except Manchester were the favourites, and this writer disliked their dominance that reeked of being unbeatable. While the match was heading in one direction all through the game, when William Gallas pulled off an extra time header to equalise, I had picked my red momentarily because the rest of the season remained a blur. Imagine fighting back against Manchester United at the Emirates, at a time when The Red Devils were at their peak. It was surreal!
Everything changed after that. Every single activity revolved around watching Arsenal play live on television, including learning how to tell the time difference between London and Mumbai, and even watching late-night Champions League matches that ended at 3 am. Collecting Rs 250 from pocket money to buy not one but two Away jerseys from a jersey shop off Linking Road in Bandra situated a little ahead of the KFC there. Discussing matches with friends before church mass service, during and after mass too. Meeting to watch matches together too.
Life may have moved on, and everybody must be busy, but when it was confirmed that Arsenal won on Tuesday night because Manchester City drew against Bournemouth, it was these same friends that sent a message at 1:30 am from across the city and the globe saying, "Bro, are you watching the match? We won after 22 years." That's how much it means for Arsenal fans in Mumbai, who grew up watching the club lose on so many occasions and endure the trolling from every single top-flight EPL club, but still support them and the legendary Arsene Wenger even when some sections said, "Wenger Out". The pressure was so much that not even Unai Emery, who has resurrected a resurgent Aston Villa, was able to take over from 'Le Professeur' and had to make way for the Arsenal icon Freddie Ljunberg, before Mikel Arteta took over in November 2019, and that has clearly changed the future of the club. While they finished eight that season, it has only been upwards since then, and no looking back including this season before finally finishing as champions of EPL in 2026, and lifting the trophy after their game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The future is uncertain and we don't know if we'll win again but there is certainly confidence that we can do it again sooner and not have to wait for 22 years especially with a Michael Carrick reigniting the fire in Manchester United and Pep Guardiola leaving Manchester City, but not to forget the imminent threat of Arne Slot's Liverpool and Xabi Alonso being appointed as Chelsea's manager. If anything, the next season is going to be among the most competitive EPL seasons in a long time after the dominance of Manchester City and Liverpool for the last decade. It will be interesting to see if Viktor Gyokeres gives a tough fight to Erling Haaland and Igor Thiago for the Golden Boot, and David Raya gets a competitor at all for the Golden Glove. But before all that, Arsenal play against Paris St Germain in the Champions League on May 30 and the Gunners will want to end the season on a high in Budapest in a dream season that has seen them come out on top like never before and leave many Millennial fans emotional like their existence depended on it.
