Football

Arsenal End 22-Year Wait As Gunners Are Crowned 2025/26 Premier League Champions

Published

5 months ago

May 19, 2026

Manchester City’s slip-up away at Bournemouth confirms that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have finally been crowned Premier League champions, bringing to an end a long wait since their last title in 2004.

The slip-up by Manchester City during their visit to the Cherries confirmed Arsenal as Premier League champions for the 2025/26 season with one game left to play.

In doing so, Mikel Arteta’s side lifted the long-awaited trophy that had eluded them for so many years, winning silverware for the first time since their Community Shield triumph back in 2023.

However, the London side still have one final date with destiny before bringing the season to a close. On May 30th, Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain at the Puskas Arena in Budapest in the UEFA Champions League final, with the opportunity to complete a historic double and win Europe’s most prestigious trophy for the first time in the club’s 139-year history.

The Gunners have now ended the domestic dominance established by Liverpool and Manchester City in recent years. Since Chelsea won the Premier League in the 2016/17 season, only the Reds and the Cityzens had managed to lift the trophy. Manchester City won an incredible six league titles in eight years, while Liverpool claimed the other two.

Fall down 1000 times, stand up 1001

If Arsenal’s Premier League triumph could be summarised in one word, it would undoubtedly be: resilience.

As Rocky Balboa famously said:

“It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”

The Gunners transformed years of heartbreak into motivation and inspiration to finally become champions once again.

The North London side managed to recover from three consecutive runner-up finishes to finally break a curse that began during the 2022/23 campaign, when a devastating late collapse denied them the title.

That season, Mikel Arteta’s side spent 248 days at the top of the table and even opened up an eight-point lead over eventual champions Manchester City. However, William Saliba’s injury, several costly slip-ups and a crushing defeat to Pep Guardiola’s side saw Arsenal throw away the title.

History repeated itself the following season. Injuries, unexpected dropped points and the lack of a clinical No. 9 once again allowed Manchester City to edge past the Gunners during the decisive April-May run-in, a period in which the Cityzens often looked unbeatable.

Many Arsenal fans believed “this was finally the year” when the 2024/25 campaign began, especially after Manchester City endured an underwhelming season by their standards. However, Arne Slot’s arrival at Liverpool breathed fresh life into the Merseyside club, who produced an outstanding domestic campaign to become champions ahead of an Arsenal side once again plagued by injuries and mentally exhausted after consecutive heartbreaks.

Finally, after three straight years of falling agonisingly short at the finish line, the 2025/26 season will forever stand as a testament to resilience and perseverance, proving that persistence can eventually overcome even the most painful setbacks.

22-year wait over

Arsenal’s coronation as champions this season not only represents their 14th domestic league title, but also brings an end to a painful 22-year wait for supporters who last saw their club crowned Premier League champions during the legendary 2003/04 campaign.

That Arsenal side became immortalised as “The Invincibles” after winning the title unbeaten, recording 26 victories and 12 draws across a historic 38-game unbeaten league season — an achievement no English side has managed to replicate since.

From the iconic squad led by Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pirès and Sol Campbell, to Arteta’s modern Arsenal spearheaded by Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka and William Saliba among others, 22 long years have passed before the Gunners were finally able to lift the Premier League trophy once again.

Keys behind the title triumph

Arsenal not only proved themselves to be one of the best teams in England this season, but also evolved into a mature, mentally resilient side capable of surviving the relentless demands of a title race.

The biggest difference compared to previous seasons was their ability to remain composed during difficult moments. Rather than collapsing under pressure after dropping points, Arteta’s side consistently managed to grind out ugly but crucial victories that ultimately defined their title-winning campaign.

Their defensive solidity proved fundamental in the title race. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes established themselves as arguably the best centre-back partnership in Europe, combining the Frenchman’s composure, pace and ball progression with the Brazilian’s physical dominance and aggression.

Shielding the defence was a sublime Declan Rice, who became arguably the most indispensable player in the starting XI thanks to his ability to recover possession, lead the press and slow games down during tense moments.

Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard continued to perform at an elite level, evolving from exciting young stars into genuine Premier League superstars despite their relatively young age.

Meanwhile, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres added the extra edge Arsenal had been lacking in attack. The Swedish striker brought physicality, aggression and relentless movement in behind defences, while Eze’s intelligence, spatial awareness and ability to drag defenders out of position created constant chaos for opposing backlines.

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Related Topics:Arsenal Manchester City Premier League

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Football

2026 Ballon d’Or Nominees: Full List Of Contenders Across All Categories

Published

1 month ago

September 8, 2026

AladdynKing

The race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or gathers pace as shortlists are unveiled across all categories.

The battle for the 2026 Ballon d’Or has officially commenced. Football’s most prestigious individual accolade, celebrating the standout performers of the 2025-26 season, is building towards its marquee evening.

On Tuesday, 8 September, shortlists will be revealed in stages across all primary categories, from the Men’s and Women’s Ballon d’Or to honours for emerging talent and world-class goalkeepers. Clubs and managers are likewise vying for prestigious recognition.

Among the individual awards up for grabs are the Kopa Trophy, presented to the standout young player, the Yashin Trophy, awarded to the top goalkeeper, and the Gerd Muller Trophy, reserved for the campaign’s most prolific finisher.

The staggered release of the nominees marks the opening chapter of the gala. The winners will be formally crowned on 26 October when the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony takes centre stage in London.

Nominees list: All names category by category

Women’s Club of the Year: Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Club America, Manchester City, and Olympique Lyonnais

Men’s Club of the Year: Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Bodo/Glimt, Flamengo, and PSG

Women’s Coach of the Year: Jonatan Giraldez, Andree Jeglertz, Nils Nielsen, Pere Romeu, Elena Sadiku

Men’s Coach of the Year: Mikel Arteta, Luis de la Fuente, Unai Emery, Vincent Kompany, Luis Enrique

Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Ann-Katrin Berger, Cata Coll, Hannah Hampton, Lorena, Ayaka Yamashita

Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Yassine Bounou, Thibaut Courtois, Gregor Kobel, Joan Garcia, Edouard Mendy, Emiliano Martinez, David Raya, Vozinha, Unai Simon, Matvey Safonov

Best Young Female Player: Veerle Buurman, Vicky Lopez, Felicia Schroder, Clara Serrajordi, Lily Yohannes

Best Young Male Player: Kerim Alajbegovic, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Pau Cubarsi, Yan Diomande, Lennart Karl, Junior Kroupi, Lamine Yamal, Johan Manzambi, Ibrahim Maza, Warren Zaire-Emery

Women’s Ballon d’Or 2026: Selma Bacha, Barbra Banda, Klara Buhl, Esmee Brugts, Mariona Caldentey, Scarlett Camberos, Kerstin Casparij, Temwa Chawinga, Cata Coll, Melchie Dumornay, Caroline Graham Hansen, Alex Greenwood, Pernille Harder, Patri Guijarro, Rose Lavelle, Yui Hasegawa, Mapi Leon, Lorena, Melvine Malard, Manaka Matsukubo, Ewa Pajor, Vivianne Miedema, Claudia Pina, Alexia Putellas, Alessia Russo, Momoko Tanikawa, Wendie Renard, Khadija Shaw, Caroline Weir, Tessa Wullaert

Men’s Ballon d’Or 2026: Jude Bellingham, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Cucurella, Ousmane Dembele, Luis Diaz, Bruno Fernandes, Erling Haaland, Gabriel, Harry Kane, Achraf Hakimi, Lamine Yamal, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos, Sadio Mane, Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappe, Nuno Mendes, Leo Messi, Michael Olise, Joao Neves, Willian Pacho, Julián Quiñones, Declan Rice, Rodri Hernández, Fabián Ruiz, Ferran Torres, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Vinicius Júnior, Vitinha.

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Football

Vinicius Vows To Deliver Champions League Glory: “We Are Going To Win It”

Published

1 month ago

September 7, 2026

AladdynKing

Vinicius Junior spoke to ‘RM Play’ ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League opener, boldly declaring that they will conquer Europe this season.

Following a two-season drought, Real Madrid have set their sights firmly on the Champions League. Los Blancos kick off their latest European campaign on Tuesday, and Vinicius Jr spoke to ‘RM Play’, the club’s official streaming platform.

The Brazilian forward boldly asserted that they will lift their 16th European crown following two underwhelming campaigns: “Hopefully number 16 arrives. We are ready for it. It is our competition. We haven’t performed well over the last two years. Our first goal is to finish in the top eight. We are always thrilled by the Champions League. This season is going to be different compared to the last two and we are going to win it.”

Vinicius also reflected fondly on his decisive strikes against Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund in the last two finals: “They are the two most important goals of my life. It goes down in history. Many players score goals, but few in finals. And doing it for the biggest club in the world is something neither the fans nor I will ever forget.”

Finally, he shared his thoughts ahead of the opening clash against Inter: “Whenever the Champions League comes around, it is something different. We are ready for this match against a great side who will demand a lot from us. They are physically very strong and defend with a back five, which usually causes us problems, but the boss has prepared us well. We have a few absences, but we will all go out strong. Hopefully we can build that wonderful connection with the fans in these matches,” he concluded.

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Football

Inter Dealt Dimarco Blow Ahead Of Bernabeu Clash

Published

1 month ago

September 7, 2026

AladdynKing

Inter have travelled to Madrid without Federico Dimarco after the wing-back suffered a mild right knee sprain, dealing a major blow to the ‘Nerazzurri’.

The Champions League is back, and Inter face a formidable opening test as they travel to take on Real Madrid on matchday one of the league phase — a stern challenge made all the more difficult by the absence of a key figure.

That absentee is Federico Dimarco, one of the side’s standout performers and the reigning Serie A ‘MVP’. The wing-back emerged as one of the casualties from their dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Napoli.

The Italy international, who provided an assist for Lautaro to break the deadlock, lasted just 62 minutes on the pitch after sustaining a mild sprain in his right knee. Head coach Chivu opted against taking any risks with his fitness, leaving him behind in Milan.

Everything points towards Carlos Augusto deputising on the left flank in his absence. The Brazilian full-back stepped in for his teammate against Napoli, crucially providing the assist for the equaliser to make it 2-2.

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