🚨 Dennis Bergkamp on the hatred towards Arsenal:
“Even to this day, I still don’t understand why people hate Arsenal so much. Arsenal are not the only team in history to lose a Champions League final.
What surprises me even more is seeing our colleagues in the Premier League supporting outsiders to win the Champions League over us when Arsenal are the team representing the league in the final. I honestly wasn’t expecting that.
Football is about rivalry, but sometimes it feels like an obsession with Arsenal. Every mistake is magnified, while others don’t receive the same level of criticism.
Since we achieved the Invincibles, something none of them have been able to do, they don’t enjoy seeing us win trophies anymore.”
Emmanuel Petit on Premier League clubs mocking Arsenal after the final defeat:
🗣️ “I have to say, I found it embarrassing.
The second Arsenal lost, some Premier League clubs couldn't wait to jump on social media and remind everyone about their European trophies.
That tells you everything.
Instead of supporting an English club representing the league on the biggest stage in club football, they were busy celebrating Arsenal's pain.
For me, that's not rivalry. That's insecurity.
Arsenal were 90 minutes away from doing something special, and rather than show respect, people were desperately searching through the history books for old trophies to post online.
Why? Because they were terrified of seeing Arsenal join that club.
Let's be honest, some of these clubs spent the entire season watching Arsenal compete at a level they couldn't reach.
The jealousy was obvious.
The moment Arsenal fell short, they treated it like they had won something themselves.
That's the mentality of people who would rather see Arsenal fail than focus on their own success.
The trophy may have slipped away, but the reaction from some rivals showed exactly how much Arsenal still live rent-free in their heads.”
After almost seven years at this club, it’s hard to put into words what this moment means to me.
I arrived at this club when I was 18 years old. Far from home, barely speaking the language, trying to adapt to a completely new culture, new life and chasing a dream that felt so big at the time.
I didn’t know exactly what the future would hold, but I knew I wanted to give everything for this club.
We didn’t just build a team, we built a family, an identity, and something the fans could believe in again. To see this club back where it belongs is one of the proudest moments of my career.
I want to thank my family, thank everyone at the club, the staff, my teammates, and every person working behind the scenes. Most importantly, thank you to the fans. Your support, patience and love throughout these years never went unnoticed. You stayed with us through the difficult moments, and this title belongs to you as much as anyone.
This club changed my life. I will always be grateful for the privilege of wearing this shirt.
PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS 🏆