Arsenal Responded To Budapest The Classy Way

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Just Arsenal News

·1 June 2026

Arsenal Responded To Budapest The Classy Way

I often like to tell the story of how, when Highbury was being painted, Herbert Chapman paid out of his own pocket for marble red paint. The idea was that our manager wanted any visitors’ first impression of our stadium to be that, at this club, things were done the right way.

That became Arsenal’s reputation. Even our biggest rivals, regardless of our level of success, would testify that Arsenal were the classy club.

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When Mikel Arteta returned to North London, he talked about having non negotiable principles. Our former captain had watched from the outside, listened to the whispers and realised that proud standards had dropped. Mr Wenger admitted in his final years in charge that a section of our fanbase were in danger of impacting the sacred values he had helped maintain.

A Club Built On Pride And Standards

I thought about all of this when I saw the scenes around the Emirates on Sunday.

It had not even been 24 hours since the heartbreak of losing the Champions League Final on penalties, yet there were an estimated hundreds of thousands of people standing for hours to get a decent view of a parade.

Booking a Premier League celebration the day after Budapest was always potentially going to be awkward. Players are still human, after all, and would have been hurting on that bus.

Yet this was a time to focus on the happy memories created this season.

Debates about style of play, what our squad needs, who should leave and who should stay, all of that can wait for another point this summer, and it will.

This weekend was not that moment.

It was about Gunners and Gooners saying thank you to one another.

(Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

The Arsenal Way

It was about letting Eze know that we are aware he is hurting and giving him the world’s largest cuddle. It was about taking Gabriel’s pain and becoming his comfort blanket. A crowd of strangers became the parachute, refusing to let anyone fall.

No blame.

No complaining.

Just pride.

In his first press conference as manager, I waited to see if Arteta was simply telling supporters what they wanted to hear. I am not naive enough to ignore that the Spaniard is paid very well to lead us, yet I genuinely believe his love for the badge is real.

His desire to make those around him smile is genuine.

As he stood with the Premier League trophy, I am sure there was a moment when he looked out at a sea of red shirts and realised he had done it. Not only had he returned the Gunners to the top of English football, he had repaired the disconnect between those on and off the pitch.

He gave people their Arsenal back.

Not just a talented squad, but characters and personalities you are proud to see wear our shirt.

Because you learn the most about character not when things are going well, but in how people respond to adversity.

A day after Hungary, the Arsenal family acted with class, did things the right way, the Arsenal way.

Proud to be a Gooner.

Do you agree, Gooners? Did Sunday’s parade show exactly what makes Arsenal different from so many other clubs?

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