🏆 Arsenal champions after 22 years! The longest ever droughts? 👀 | OneFootball

A moment a lifetime in the making. With Manchester City's draw against Bournemouth on Tuesday night, Arsenal lifted the Premier League again after twenty-two years. An eternity.

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It seemed as if the title was cursed for the Gunners, so much so that people were already talking about Arteta as the eternal runner-up, Guardiola’s disciple but without Pep’s winning touch. After years of disappointment, though, the student has finally beaten the master, at the end of a campaign only partly called into question in the final stretch of the season.

Twenty-two years, as we were saying. A lot, especially for a fanbase that up until 2004 was used to winning. In football, though, when cycles come to an end, it’s not automatic that you can just pick up where you left off. And Arsenal are only the latest example.

🏴 Tottenham and United...

If the Gunners have put an end to their curse, the same certainly cannot be said for their number one rivals, Tottenham. The Spurs, who in fact still have to secure survival this year, haven’t finished top for as many as 65 years! 

Manchester United’s drought is shorter, though Ferguson had their fans very well accustomed to success. Since Sir Alex stepped away from management in 2013, however, Premier League titles have amounted to zero: 13 years of suffering around Old Trafford...

Similar to Arsenal’s was the run of Liverpool, who before winning the league in 2019/20 had gone almost 30 years without doing so (their previous triumph came in 1989/90).

The droughts continue, meanwhile, for Everton (39 years), Leeds (44), Nottingham Forest (48) and Aston Villa (45). Villa, however, after winning the Europa League last night, have good reason not to dwell on it...

🇮🇹 The Rome clubs and then... Napoli!

In Italy, as we know, the three giants have often dominated. Juve, Inter and Milan have won the vast majority of Italian league titles, albeit with alternating periods of difficulty. Perhaps the toughest spell is the one Milan are going through, having won only twice in the last 22 years, in 2011 and 2022. 

Still, that is nothing compared to the 25 years since Roma last won the Scudetto, or Lazio’s 26. Napoli, meanwhile, have been crowned champions twice in the last three years, but before that their tally had been stuck since as far back as 1990!

🇫🇷 Who remembers Lyon?

And in France? Needless to say, PSG’s dominance now goes unchallenged, but the French league used to be much more balanced. Lyon, Monaco, Marseille... Every year a different club could win it.

If Lille and Monaco have managed to partly interrupt PSG’s run of success, the same cannot be said for Lyon and OM, clubs for whom a league title has been awaited for 19 and 17 years respectively. The problem here is not so much that, but rather the fact that the drought looks set to get even longer in the future!

🇪🇸 Tough when you’re up against Barça and Real...

In Spain, La Liga is often a matter between the two giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid. Two clubs that do not know the meaning of the word drought, something they have at most experienced for a handful of seasons.

So how tough must life be for an colchonero fan? Eleven league titles, compared to Barça’s 29 and Real’s 36. With Simeone’s arrival in 2011, Atlético three years later ended a Liga curse that had lasted 18 years.

Even worse, much worse, is Valencia, who have not lifted the trophy for 22 years, and before the 2001/2002-2003/2004 double, had not won since the 1970s!

🌍 The others

In Germany, Borussia Dortmund’s lack of trophies is beginning to make headlines, with their last Bundesliga title dating back to 2011. Schalke, meanwhile, have not triumphed since 1958!

In Scotland, this year we almost witnessed the end of the Celtic-Rangers duopoly, who have shared every title since 1984/85. The last time that did not happen, the winners were Aberdeen led by... Sir Alex Ferguson!

Finally, in Turkey, Fenerbahçe have been without a title since 2013, while in Greece Panathinaikos have been waiting for one for 16 years. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

📸 BROOK MITCHELL - AFP or licensors